The weekend tragedy stemmed from a thermal explosion, a incident the Cullera Medusa Festival swiftly addressed as the night’s headline event. Live music continues to be one of the fastest-growing segments in the national market, drawing increasing interest from audiences across Canada and the United States and highlighting the sector’s evolving appeal.
The live music scene faces a particularly demanding summer after a two-year shutdown caused by the pandemic. Cancellations for weather or economic reasons persisted, including the temporary evacuation of 5,000 fans at Rabolagartija in Villena this Saturday and controversy surrounding the official Arenal Sound bus, where many teenagers experienced dizziness and heat-related distress.
Evacuation of 5,000 festivalgoers from Rabolagartija due to high winds
After pandemic restrictions, the summer of 2022 has been celebrated as a recovery milestone for the industry, with renewed enthusiasm from audiences eager to attend live concerts again.
Attendance suggests momentum this year, with organizers reporting over 25,000 attendees per day at the Benidorm Low Festival. Yet cancellations have also marked the season, including Crazy Urban in Torrevieja due to bad weather, and Diversity de Valencia has paused events without clear refunds for ticket holders—prices reportedly ranged from 70 to 1,200 euros.
Attendees, staff, and organizations are raising concerns about working conditions and venue rules. Critics describe certain enclosure regulations as harsh and argue that economic pressures require adaptation from organizers to support workers effectively.
Heat-related incidents on a returning bus from Arenal Sound to Alicante
Longtime festival workers in Alicante note stagnant wages despite rising living costs in Europe. Salaries in roles such as gatekeeping, ticket validation, and general event support have remained roughly unchanged, with reports of earnings around seven to ten euros per hour before shifts. The inflationary environment has not translated into higher pay for many staff members.
Shifts continue to be long, with many workers describing twelve to fourteen hours in a single day, often with minimal breaks, all compensated at the same rate. For the public, there is growing discontent with perceived abusive practices by some organizers, including bans on bringing food or drink from outside the venue and inflated on-site prices for basic necessities. Calls for equal treatment include the expectation that venues provide free tap water, a standard many believe should apply to festivals as well.
THE COMPANY THAT ORGANIZED MEDUSA HAS EMPLOYED UNAUTHORIZED STAFF
Babalú Group, the entity responsible for staging at the Cullera Medusa festival, acknowledged employing staff without the necessary qualifications. The event was canceled after strong winds toppled a stage, leading to one fatality and dozens of injuries among attendees.
Days ahead of the festival’s start, Javier Montava, managing director of the company, told a broadcast that additional unskilled personnel were necessary to deliver full service. The winds created a sandstorm and eventually caused the structure to collapse.
In the wake of the incident, a young man in his twenties died, and nearly fifty others were injured, with some in serious condition and others treated on-site. The festival organizers later confirmed the cancellation of the event.
There is growing discourse about wristband payment systems where attendees must top up balances to purchase goods at the venue. Critics describe a practice of charging a management fee to reclaim any remaining balance, a point of contention among participants who feel they are being charged to retrieve their own money.
Industry representatives have remained silent as the situation unfolds. In light of recent events, efforts to reach festival organizers across the Valencian Community have not yielded public comment on the state of the live music sector or the worker conditions under scrutiny.