The 2026 Spring Festivals in the Hortaleza district of Madrid promise a diverse musical lineup with artists such as David Bustamante, Burning, and Funambulista, who will perform for free at the Pilar García Peña auditorium between May 29 and June 7. However, the absence of stalls managed by neighborhood entities in the fairground has caused discontent among some residents.
The La Unión de Hortaleza Neighborhood Association has expressed its inability to set up a stall for the second consecutive year. According to the association's spokesperson, Sonia San Andrés, a change in the regulations for accessing the facilities, implemented two years ago by the councilor and coordinator of the Hortaleza Municipal Board, David Pérez, has hindered the participation of groups critical of the management.
San Andrés pointed out that while four stalls are automatically allocated to political parties represented in the municipal government, the current scoring system for the remaining ones requires constant collaboration in the Board's own activities, a difficult requirement for their association to meet. "The councilor and the mayor have decided that citizen participation in the neighborhoods takes a backseat," she lamented, recalling the entity's 50-year history without similar issues with previous administrations.
The spokesperson criticized that last year's protest, by not participating in the festivals due to the changes in the scoring criteria, has prevented them from applying for a stall this year. The offer of a stall on a weekday and outside the fairground was considered a "mockery" by the association.
The Municipal Board has announced the allocation of the eight stalls in Pinar del Rey park: four for political parties (Partido Popular, Más Madrid, PSOE, and Vox) and the other four for Club Deportivo Canillas, Club Olímpico de Hortaleza, Hermandad Rociera de Hortaleza, and the cultural association El Nido, awarded based on the new criteria.
The Municipal Board assures that the allocation process was conducted "under a strict public competition procedure" and with "total transparency," including a public draw to resolve ties. Board sources indicated that there were no formal objections during the application opening event on May 6.
