Illegal rave

Spain: “Ghost airport” party heats things up

Thousands are currently celebrating an unregistered rave party at the site near the "ghost airport" of Ciudad Real (archive image).(Bild: AFP)

Thousands have been celebrating an unregistered rave party in Spain since New Year's Eve. According to the newspaper "El Mundo" and other media, drug dealing and consumption have been flourishing at the site not far from Ciudad Real airport, just under 200 kilometers south of Madrid. The airport operators have now even pressed charges.

One participant was arrested on Friday, the fourth day of the so-called "Big Fucking Party 2025", for drug trafficking. However, the authorities do not want to put an end to the illegal goings-on for the time being. Getting the participants to leave the area is a difficult task, explained Milagros Tolón, the representative of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior responsible for security in the Castilla-La Mancha region, to the TV station RTVE. "It is more risky to evacuate than to control." However, she emphasized that 170 officers were deployed outside the grounds to monitor the party.

Around 5,000 participants according to the authorities - number of unreported cases higher
"If there are a lot of us and we stick together, they can't stop us," 23-year-old Catalan Laia was quoted as saying in "El Mundo". According to reports, the rave is attended not only by Spaniards but also by revelers from abroad, who have traveled from Germany, Portugal, England, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands. According to the authorities, there were around 5,000 people. The media estimate the number of participants to be significantly higher. With temperatures hovering around freezing point, the celebrations are set to continue until 6 January.

El Mundo reported that there were seven stages, countless food stalls, rope acrobatics and an inflatable bouncy castle on the site. And that's not all. The rear window of a van, for example, is emblazoned with a note bluntly offering "Pills Cocaine Ketamine Mushrooms Weed", as can be seen in a picture published by the newspaper. 

Because of the noise, the techno festival also harmed the wildlife in the nearby "Campo de Calatrava" bird sanctuary, scientists complained.

Party was advertised via social networks
The organizers are unknown to the authorities. According to the media and authorities, the event in an industrial area was advertised via social networks. However, the exact location was only announced shortly before the start "to avoid leaks", wrote "El Mundo". Similar end-of-year parties have already taken place in Spain in Granada in 2023 and Murcia in 2024.