Barcelona appoints Night Commissioner to 'harmonize' balance between nightlife and right to rest

The Barcelona city council has appointed Carmen Zapata as its new Night Commissioner.

In a press conference to explain the appointment, deputy mayor of Security, Albert Batlle, said that Zapata's responsibility will be to "harmonize" the nightlife economy with locals' right to rest. Although both will work closely, the new commissioner will not have powers in the field of security.

Zapata comes from a nightlife background, as since 2006 she has been the manager of the Association of Concert Halls of Catalonia. 

She intends to listen to input from all sectors involved in nightlife in the city and try to "reconcile" potential conflicts with neighbours, the catering and leisure industry, night trade, culture, youth associations, and security and prevention services.

In addition to Zapata's appointment, the local government also signed a decree creating the Night Council, a body for participation and dialogue with the actors involved.

Batlle explained that the new governance model aims to "combine legitimate interests that can sometimes collide" with other interests in the city.

Night strategy yes, security no

The new role will design and execute the night strategy that responds to the needs of citizens and will identify public policies and regulations related to nightlife that need to be revisited and updated.

In addition, the Night Commissioner will coordinate nightlife initiatives and facilitate dialogue between the different actors involved.

The new position is not quite the creation of a figure of a night mayor that was initially proposed, with authority over security left outside of the role.

Barcelona Night Council

The Barcelona Night Council is a newly created body that will allow for participation and dialogue among actors in the nightlife sector and citizen organizations.

The purpose of the body is to share and produce proposals related to the city's nightlife from a preventive approach.

The launch of a nighttime governance body is one of the actions agreed upon in the Action Plan created by the Citizens' Table for a Civic and Safe Night.

Worldwide, there are more than 50 cities that already have night governance structures, but Barcelona's will be the first in Spain.

Carmen Zapata

Carmen Zapata studied Law and Communication and Media and is a regular speaker in debates in the music industry.

With more than two decades of a professional career, she has assumed several leadership roles and has stood out as an active defender of the cultural work of music halls, gender equality and diversity in the sector.

Since 2006, she has been manager of the Association of Concert Halls of Catalonia, which has allowed her to work continuously with local, regional, state-wide, and international public administrations.

She is a founding member and former president of the Music Industry Women's Association, and in 2021, she was recognized with the KeyChange Award for her career.