It has always seemed like a downer to me that I couldn’t bring my own food to festivals. In the vast majority of these, you either have a few miserable fries for dinner, which is usually the cheapest thing on the menu, or you are forced to pay 15 euros for a hamburger in the best of cases. Now, thanks to the new action of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs against one of the major promoters in our country, we are a little closer to eradicating all this.
Why don’t festivals allow outside food? I’m sure many attribute it to a safety issue, because of everything you can wrap in aluminum foil. The reality, like almost everything in this type of business, is that there is a monetary reason behind it. Journalist Nando Cruz says in his book ‘Macrofestivals: The black hole of music’ that bar sales usually account for around 40% of a festival’s income.
It’s not crazy to imagine that the percentage of income coming from food is also high. Above all, because of the very long queues that form at some events and the large spaces set up for the different ‘food trucks’. There are those who simply leave the premises to eat something there. Whatever you find will probably be cheaper, but what happens when you can’t even leave the festival?
This is one of the “abusive practices” for which the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 has opened a file against “a large festival promoter” in our country. All, following a complaint from Facua. Last year alone, the consumer association sued the organizers of 28 festivals and concerts.
The ministry of Pablo Bustinduy attacks those festivals that prohibit access to the venue with food and drink from outside, those that prevent free entry and exit of the space and those that do not allow the refund of the amount left over from the cashless bracelets, used in practically all events. Facua also points out as an irregularity that this is the only payment method available in most cases.
It remains to be seen how serious these practices are considered, which could result in sanctions ranging between 100,000 and one million euros. We will have more news in nine months, a period in which the public entity’s file must be resolved. Until then, be careful not to bring a snack to that festival.
