Barcelona City Council urges Telecogresca to decide "what game it wants to play"

BarcelonaThe change in the management model of the Parc del Fòrum has struck at the heart of Telecogresca, the festival created by UPC students in 1978. "The Barcelona City Council is forcing us to accept market prices and the bureaucratic burdens of a mega-festival," explained the festival organizers a few days ago, adding that this "fixed" situation denies access to public funding. The City Council's Culture Councillor, Xavier Marcé, accuses the Telecogresca organizers of wanting to play by "the rules of the adult game" while simultaneously claiming to be a student festival. This Tuesday, at the City Council's Culture Committee meeting, Marcé urged Telecogresca to decide "what game they want to play": "Today they want to be student-run, and tomorrow professionals."

"The continuity of the festival as it is known is in danger due to the lack of systemic institutional support and the disproportionate increase in the cost of using public space in the "Parc del Fòrum," emphasizes the festival organizers, who this year have scheduled a day of a dozen concerts on March 28th, including Élite, Auxilio, and Alérgicas en el Polen, among other musical acts.

Where does the conflict stem from? The increase in musical activity at Parc del Fòrum and the urban development of the area were pushing the already complicated relationship between live outdoor music and residents' need for rest to the limit. Furthermore, the sheer size of a space that can accommodate more than 70,000 people in a single day (as happens during Primavera Sound) added to the tension arising from the intensive use of the spaces near the venue. All of this led the municipal government of Jaume Collboni to establish a "new regulatory criterion" to govern musical activity at Parc del Fòrum. This was at the end of 2024. The new regulations reduced the number of concert and festival days to just 30 per year and also regulated their hours. To decide To determine who could organize music events in 2026, 2027, and 2028, the City Council opened a public tender with two categories: one for three large-scale events (up to 30,000 spectators per day) and another for three small-scale events (up to 9,000). Festivals like Primavera Sound and Cruïlla, which had existing agreements with the City Council, were excluded from the tender. The council, through BSM, resolved the public bidding process on August 1, 2025: it awarded the three large-scale events to the Telecogresca Association, at Autpark (the company that owns Sala Apolo and promotes QU4TRE, the Festival by Apolo, and the Proxy 3 Festival·B, a two-day event in September). For the small-scale events, the winners were The Project, to organize the Salsón Barcelona festival (a two-day event in early October), and Ex-Centris Production. organizer of the Brunch Electronik Festival (two days at the end of October). Finally, Apolo withdrew and Brunch Electronik took its place among the large-scale festivals.

Affordable tickets vs. mega-festivals

Telecogresca, which in recent years has drawn crowds of up to 15,000 people, was presented in a large-format format, doubling its capacity. The organizers' intention was to ensure its continued presence at the Fòrum (where it has been held since 2012), celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2028, and maintain an affordable format with tickets priced between €22 and €26.50, well below the average price of festivals held at the Fòrum. However, by accepting the conditions of a large-format public event, they were also accepting higher costs. Had they opted for the smaller format, with 9,000 spectators, the total rental costs would have been around €23,000. However, by competing for the larger format, they must pay approximately €40,000 annually to rent the space for a single day (€17,500 for the concession fee, bringing the total to €22,500). According to Telecogresca, this €40,000 represents a 250% increase compared to previous years. "We had to meet requirements designed for festivals with 30,000 daily attendees, while Telecogresca takes place over a single day and has historically reached a maximum of 15,000 attendees," the university festival organizers explained. At an average ticket price of €24, box office revenue could reach €360,000, which would need to cover the €40,000 venue rental, fees for the dozen bands, taxes, and all management and technical contracting costs.

"May the UPC help them."

The City Council suggested that Telecogresca increase its capacity and raise ticket prices, and this Tuesday, Marcé stated that the solution is for the UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia) to assist with the organization. "The City Council is in talks with the university to cover the costs," the Councilor for Culture affirmed. According to the university association, Telecogresca, which takes place in March, outside of the festival season, "is paying the price for the excesses of the mega-festivals, while the City Council uses public space as a source of revenue, without distinguishing between private profit and social initiative." "They won a competition that gives them opportunities and a three-year guarantee, which is what they requested," Marcé said. "The increase in rental fees and charges is compounded by bureaucratic complexity that acts as an additional barrier to volunteering. The administration imposes administrative requirements on the organization that are typical of large corporations, ignoring its altruistic and non-profit nature. The City Council, far from subsidizing a self-managed youth initiative, argues that the underlying debate, therefore, concerns a management model for the Parc del Fòrum."