Thousands Defy Nightlife Ban To Attend Parties In Spain

Around 25,000 young people celebrated a huge open-air party in Madrid despite a ban on such events, according to the police, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Photo Insert: The debris of garbage collected in the aftermath of the "botellones"

Social media footage showed participants dancing and drinking alcohol in open spaces between university buildings in Madrid's Ciudad Universitaria district on Friday night, the newspaper El Pais reported.

A similar party with 8,000 participants was also reported from the campus of the Autonomous University in Barcelona, newspaper La Vanguardia wrote. The winter semester has just begun in Spain.

Outdoor parties often with lots of alcohol, called "botellones" in Spain, are forbidden, and drinking alcohol in public can result in heavy fines. Spain's regular nightlife is still subject to some restrictions because of the pandemic. Often, the country's nightlife is also too expensive, particularly for young people.

Madrid police said they did not have enough officers available to disperse the mass gathering so therefore held back. The last groups of partygoers in Madrid only left on Saturday morning at around 7.00 am (0500 GMT). Eleven teenagers received medical treatment for alcohol poisoning.

The parties left behind them huge quantities of trash - and frustrated professors. While faculties try to work out sensible safety measures for the return to in-person teaching, such as social distancing, smaller groups, or ventilation, mass parties are being held in a parallel universe, Prof. Jesus Perez Gil complained on Twitter.

Spain's coronavirus situation is currently relatively relaxed, with a low number of new cases. The situation in hospitals has calmed down and the country's vaccination campaign is at an advanced stage.

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