Barcelona's Cruïlla Festival a 'complete success', says organizer

Cruïlla director Jordi Herreruela has described the Barcelona festival as a "complete success," all the while acknowledging the "very complicated public health situation."

"Barcelona has once again been the center of the world in terms of the organization of events and live music," Herreruela told the press on Saturday evening.

Antigen testing

The 2021 edition, held from Thursday to Saturday night, saw all attendees undergo daily rapid antigen tests in order to enter the festival premises.

Of the over 50,000 festivalgoers, 289 Covid-19 cases were detected: 69 on Saturday, 94 on Friday, and 126 on Thursday. 

According to Herreruela, each positive case could go on to infect another 10 to 15 people. "We've detected around 250 cases, meaning we've prevented between 2,500 and 3,000," he said. "We've been a tool in stopping the spread of the pandemic and should be proud."

And just as authorities have been noticing over the last few weeks, positivity rates at Cruïlla were higher among younger attendees.

38% of those who tested positive are under the age of 25; 26% between the ages of 25 and 30; 26% are 30 to 40; while 10% are over 40. Over half of these people, 53%, are from Barcelona. 

All of this information will be provided to the public health system, which will be able to track positives among attendees in the weeks to come. 

Face mask use

While social distancing was not required, face mask use was meant to be compulsory. All in all, however, only 70% of attendees complied.

Herreruela chalked this up to society-wide confusion regarding their use, not the way organizers explained the festival rules: "The fact that now it only has to be worn indoors makes compliance more difficult."