The mayor of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo, has held a meeting with the directors and promoters of the festivals held in the city to establish common strategies
Monday, May 26, 2025 | Viewed: 631 times
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Close to 200,000 people will attend the music festivals in Cartagena this summer. This was confirmed by the mayor of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo, who met on Monday, May 26, with the directors and promoters of the music events held during the summer season in the port city, such as Rock Imperium, Cartagena Suena, La Mar de Músicas, Cartagena Folk, Estrella de Levante Fest Cartagineses y Romanos, Noches de Sal, Weekend DJ or Hermosa Fest.
«These cultural events will allow thousands of people to discover Cartagena thanks to these initiatives that contribute to positioning Cartagena as a top-level tourist and festival destination, which translates into employment and economic return for the city,» explained Arroyo, who highlighted the work done by the festival organizers, who have the financial and logistical support of the City Council.
In this regard, the mayor detailed that the investment made by the City Council to support these cultural events is close to 2 million euros. «The City Council has a budget of 1,300,000 euros for publicly produced festivals, such as La Mar de Músicas, Cartagena Folk, Mucho Más Mayo or MuDanzas, among others; while for those managed by private initiative, we allocate around 600,000 euros,» she added.
The mayor highlighted the significant economic return generated by events in the municipality, as for example «only Rock Imperium had an economic impact of 15 million euros last year, and this year the figures from the two Arde Bogotá concerts at the Cartagena Suena festival will be added. All of them will attract tourism, as evidenced by the fact that 60% of the tickets for the first concert and 80% of the second have been sold to spectators from outside Cartagena. Therefore, a minimum of 20,000 visitors will come to the municipality to listen to the band nominated for a Latin Grammy.
Also present at the meeting held at the Cuarentaytres del Puerto space were the Councilor for Culture, Ignacio Jáudenes; the General Director of Culture of the City Council, Eugenio González; the director of Rock Imperium, Juan Antonio Muñoz; the director of Cartagena Suena, Tonny Serrano; the president of the Federation of Carthaginians and Romans, Eduardo Conesa; the promoter of Hermosa Fest; Alfonso Torres, the municipal technician responsible for Cartagena Folk, Toni Peña; the director of the Weekend DJ Jimbee Fest, Ana María Borrego; among other representatives of these events.
COMMITMENT TO CULTURAL EVENTS
Cartagena is thus established as an open, creative, and diverse city, with a musical program that ranges from jazz to rock, through electronic music, world music, and folklore. An offer that revitalizes the city throughout the year, but especially in summer, which will feature artists such as Scorpions, Arde Bogotá, Till Lindemann, lead singer of Rammstein, Natalia Lafourcade, Salif Keita, Rozalén, Álvaro de Luna, among others.
«Cartagena is today a cultural reference thanks to the alliance between the public and private sectors. The festivals held in our city are a clear example of how collaboration between institutions, promoters, companies, and creators can lead to solid, sustainable projects with great national and international projection,» emphasized the mayor. Thus, «we want to continue working with the festivals, supporting their growth, attracting investment, and consolidating Cartagena as a city that not only hosts major events but makes them a reality thanks to the involvement of everyone,» added Arroyo.
On their part, the organizers of these events thanked the City Council’s collaboration. «For all of us, it is difficult to carry out these events and we feel very supported by the City Council, which provides the necessary attention for us to develop and make them sustainable,» recalled the director of Rock Imperium, Juan Antonio Muñoz.
These events also allow for «showcasing emerging and emergent talent, creating spaces to showcase the music produced in Cartagena throughout the year,» explained Tonny Serrano, director of Cartagena Suena.
The municipal commitment is also motivated by the role of these events as a great opportunity for economic return and a powerful instrument for the dynamization of the territory. According to the Annual Live Music Report 2025 from the Association of Music Promoters (APM), in 2024, live music in Spain reached a historical turnover of 725.6 million euros, representing a 25.32% growth compared to the previous year. This increase has been driven by the rise of festivals in our country, which have generated a total estimated economic impact of 5,314.68 million euros, including direct, indirect, and induced revenues.
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