Torrejón de Ardoz does not seem willing to become the epicenter of Madrid festivals. Although City Councils usually boast of their ability to attract concerts, fairs and other mass events, a few days ago the Consistory of the Corredor del Henares did exactly the opposite: it published a statement to announce the cancellation of “all macrofestivales that were made in the city.” Of their extensive list, only one will be saved, elrow Town.
The rest will be forced to find a new location next year.
What has happened? That Torrejón de Ardoz has announced the “cancellation” of three music festivals: Brava Madrid, Madrid Salvaje and Torrejón Summer Fest.
The reason? The Consistory basically alleges two reasons. The first, that he wants to “minimize the inconvenience to the neighbors.” The second, that in the opinion of the municipal government, the leisure offer for the inhabitants of the town is already well covered with the Magical Christmas and the patron saint and popular festivals. “They offer an excellent offer of free leisure and a sufficient attraction, such as large events, to promote the Torrejón Ciudad de Moda brand,” he says.
Is everything cancelled? No. At least Brava Madrid, Madrid Salvaje and Torrejón Summer Fest are falling, but not elrow Town, which will be held on a holiday (May 1) during daylight hours. The Torrejón City Council argues that the festival does not cost the municipal coffers money and is an “important” source of income for the town. In addition, residents will have the right to purchase tickets starting in April with a 50% discount.
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What does it mean for Torrejón? A priori and as the City Council itself recognizes, the fairgrounds will be left without events for most of the spring-autumn season of 2026. At the moment there is nothing scheduled for March, April, July, August and September. In June and October there will also be no appointments, except for the celebration of Popular and Patron Saint Festivals, respectively.
The strong month will be May, with elrow Town, Tributos, Locos X80 and Urban. The City Council assures that an effort will be made to reduce the acoustic impact, which would even include orienting the stage towards the Polígono de Las Monjas, in such a way that the sound is not directed towards the homes. During elrow Town, the installation of acoustic screens is planned to protect the buildings.
Why is it important? Because of the context. Madrid Salvaje, Brava Madrid and elrow Town had not been in Torrejón de Ardoz for long. What’s more, the three festivals relocated there this year after having to leave IFEMA. In the Torrejonero area they found a large, close space, well connected to Madrid and with green areas. Its great potential led some to see the town of Corredor del Henares as the potential new “epicenter” of the Madrid festivals, a not unreasonable possibility after the IFEMA turnaround.
A few months ago the IFEMA consortium confirmed its decision not to hold outdoor festivals at least in 2025 and focus on indoor ones. The measure came at a special time, with those responsible for the fair institute betting on the organization of the Spanish F-1 Prize, which will be held in September 2026. In spring The World In fact, he published that IFEMA’s step back from the open-air festivals sought to calm the spirits of the residents in view of the Formula 1 event and the noise that the cars may cause.
Perfect, right? It doesn’t seem like it. Although the festival organizers highlighted at the time the advantages of moving to Torrejón de Ardoz, in practice things seem to have been different. At least for its inhabitants. In the statement confirming the cancellation of “all macro-festivals” (except elrow Town), the City Council insists that the objective is to “minimize inconvenience to neighbors”, a maxim that goes beyond the musical calendar.
“The City Council, listening to the feelings of many Torrejoneros, is going to reduce and celebrate fewer events, concerts and parties, and is going to focus all its efforts on taking better care of and keeping the city cleaner,” the statement continues.
Neither Torrejón nor the neighborhoods close to IFEMA are the first to have seen how difficult it can be to combine the residential use of an area and the celebration of mass shows. Probably the most high-profile case is the complaints from residents around the Bernabéu, which even led to large fines. In Torrejón, an extra element was also added that has little or nothing to do with noise: several festivals were marred by their links with a pro-Israeli fund in the midst of the Gaza war.
Imagen | elrow Town
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