Over 20,000 group attended this year’s version of Elrow XXL, which has been a celebrated and highly successful arena successful Mallorca’s Son Fusteret and Ibiza arsenic good | Credit: @elrowofficial/Instagram
Palma was connected occurrence yesterday, August 30 and not conscionable because of nan precocious temperatures. From 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., Son Fusteret was transformed into an physics taxable parkland pinch nan presence of Elrow XXL, which brought together 20,000 attendees for a 12-hour nonstop experience, pinch 4 stages that were genuinely parallel worlds.
The bosom of nan event, reminiscent of nan 2018 edition, was nan Psychrowdelic Trip —a kaleidoscopic detonation of creatures, fluorescent lights, and a psychedelic vibe that seemed to resurrect nan tone of nan 1960s. There, nan Martinez Brothers and Joseph Capriati led a travel of power and groove. Meanwhile, lovers of acheronian recovered their temple astatine Industry City. Under nan activity of Deborah de Luca and Andrés Campo, techno and difficult techno blew nan Mallorcan crowd away.
Spirituality, however, was preached successful neon hues astatine nan Pink Cathedral, wherever section DJs—Pep Tronik, Pep Vanrell, Jaume Colombas, Will DC, Sergi Ales, and Toni Joan—turned nan altar into a creation floor. And, for nan much adventurous, location was The Jail, a shape hidden down bars and down a acheronian passageway that led to a clandestine rave. Elrow XXL not only deployed music, but besides logistics: nutrient trucks to withstand nan marathon, buses reinforced by nan EMT (Emergency Transportation Service) to carrier nan tide of attendees, and a lineup that included names for illustration Anna Tur, Space 92, Patrick Mason, Discip, Javitoh, Chelina Manugutu, Rendher, Manu Sanchez, and galore more. At midnight, acold from winding down, nan show reached its peak. Elrow XXL wasn’t conscionable a party: it was an ephemeral metropolis built pinch colour and delirium, and a section stamp.
Protests and controversy
Amid nan contention surrounding nan ties betwixt Spanish festivals and nan KKR finance fund, nan holding of Elrow XXL successful Palma has sparked aggravated nationalist and governmental debate. KKR, known for its investments successful Israeli companies operating successful Palestinian territories, has besides been 1 of nan world’s starring providers of intermezo and euphony shows since January 2024. That year, KKR acquired Superstruct Entertainment, nan group responsible for hosting up to 85 festivals worldwide, including Sónar, Viña Rock, and Elrow, successful a woody weighted astatine €1.4 billion.
On nan 1 hand, show organisers and supporters support that nan accusations regarding financial guidance are misleading. According to promoters, nan money raised from summons income is wholly reinvested successful expenses and early editions and is not channelled to KKR aliases different financial activities of nan fund. The festivals person besides adopted awareness-raising and speech measures, and person offered nan action of a summons refund to those who do not wish to be for ethical reasons. From this perspective, KKR acts arsenic a strategical investor, seeking to monetise its stakes successful nan early without receiving dividends from nan day-to-day guidance of nan festivals.
On nan different hand, governmental parties and societal groups expressed their guidance to holding Elrow XXL successful Mallorca, arguing that maintaining nan arena could connote indirect support for subject actions successful Gaza. Podemos Baleares formally requested that nan Palma City Council suspend nan festival, and immoderate supporters demonstrated extracurricular Son Fusteret yesterday. For these critics, attending festivals is an ethical issue.
At nan aforesaid time, galore agreed that nan work should not autumn connected attendees, artists, aliases workers, who only activity to participate successful culture. The existent reflection, they argue, should revolve astir whether it is imaginable to conceive of macro-festivals extracurricular of capitalist circles and really this exemplary would impact our country’s culture, euphony industry, and economy.
Thus, nan business past nighttime placed attendees facing a analyzable dilemma: bask an internationally renowned taste acquisition aliases return work for nan structural effects of this type of event.