MARBELLA residents face another weekend of traffic chaos as the town prepares for Saturday’s Elrow Town electronic festival.
Up to 30,000 people are expected to descend on the Finca de la Caridad venue in San Pedro Alcantara, threatening a repeat of the transport nightmare on Thursday last week sparked by a similar event.
Ticket-holders for Spanish crooner Manuel Carrasco’s concert caused the A7 motorway to come to a complete standstill for kilometres, trapping drivers for hours in sweltering heat.
Three lanes of the main coastal artery were completely blocked as thousands of vehicles crawled towards the venue, creating gridlock that extended far beyond the immediate area and affected residents trying to carry out basic journeys.
Local residents expressed frustration at being trapped in their own neighbourhoods during Thursday’s event, with some reporting journey times of over two hours for trips that normally take 15 minutes.
“The whole area becomes completely impassable,” said one San Pedro resident. “We can’t get to the shops, visit family, or even leave our homes without getting stuck in this mess.”
Business owners in the area also reported significant disruption, with staff unable to reach work and customers avoiding the zone entirely due to the transport chaos.
Municipal spokesman Felix Romero has admitted the council has no new solutions in place for Saturday’s event, instead advising festival-goers to simply ‘arrive early’ to avoid the worst of the congestion.
“Anyone who leaves it to the last minute because they’re enjoying the beach or having a mojito might find themselves in a big traffic jam,” Romero said during Tuesday’s press conference following the Local Government Board meeting.
The councillor rejected suggestions for shuttle bus services, arguing that public money should not be used to benefit private events.
“Shuttle buses cost money – it means taking public funds to generate benefit for a third party,” he stated.
Romero has deflected responsibility for the traffic management failures, focusing blame on national government policies regarding motorway tolls rather than addressing local access roads under municipal control.
The venue can only be reached via the Ronda road, which falls under regional authority, and through San Pedro’s industrial estate on municipal roads – both routes that became completely congested during last week’s concert.
Romero defended the Finca de la Caridad as a suitable venue, describing it as having ‘adequate facilities and a large parking area’, but acknowledged that the council operates with ‘limited options’ when managing such events.
The councillor promised a technical meeting would be held in coming days to review the situation, though he could provide no concrete measures for Saturday’s festival.
Only singer Manuel Carrasco has issued an apology for last week’s chaos, despite having no involvement in the event’s transport arrangements. Festival organisers have remained silent on the matter.
The Elrow Town festival represents the final event of the five-part Oasisss Marbella Fest series, with electronic music fans travelling from across Spain and Europe to attend.
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