Alicante hosts a dynamic celebration of emerging groups through Emerge Alicante, a project supported by Producciones Baltimore and the Alicante Department of Culture. This year the edition embraces public participation through online voting as a fresh feature, inviting music fans to back their favorites ahead of the grand final slated for May 21 at Espacio Séneca.
In its third edition, the competition assigns 25% of the final tally to popular votes while the remaining 75% comes from a professional jury. This structure opens the door for broad audience involvement, with online voting open to the public until May 12. Among the 33 submissions received, the jury will deliberate during this period, narrowing the field to ten semi-finalist groups who will advance to the next round of the contest.
Voters will have access to detailed profiles of all participating groups on the festival’s official website and will be able to cast their vote for the proposal they favor via a dedicated form. Once voting concludes, the professional jury will review the results, applying their 75% share of the decision. The combined outcome of the jury and the public will determine which three finalist groups from Emerge Alicante will perform at Espacio Séneca on May 21. Only one project will be promoted on that day, with an award format to be announced for the Spring Festival, which will take place on May 27 and 28 at Rabasa Multispace.
All finalists will be hosted at Espacio Séneca beforehand, as the festival season unfolds between May 17 and May 22 within the Spring City program. Throughout the city, exhibitions, acoustic concerts, book presentations, workshops, and a rich lineup of gastronomy and cultural events will be showcased, highlighting the region’s vibrant arts scene.
This edition also includes a collaboration with RN Radio 3. Program demo captain José Piñero mentioned in interviews that a dedicated chapter to The Rise of Alicante will appear in upcoming coverage. He emphasized that this innovation and the finalists’ performances at the Spring Festival would bring greater visibility to the pool of musicians formed by this competition, reinforcing its role as a catalyst for local talent and wider recognition beyond the city.