James Warren
AS Madrid enters Phase 1 from today, many have been left angered at a huge gathering involving hundreds of drunken teenagers at a disused fairground on Saturday night.
In full defiance of the lockdown rules, hordes of young people gathered on the Tomelloso fairgroud in a pre-arranged gathering known as a macro-botellon.
As neighbours awoke Sunday morning, they were greeted by a sea of empty bottles, litter and discarded food wrappers covering the Feria ground in the Ciudad Real urbanisation.
It is thought the gathering was arranged via social media, attracting hundreds of youngsters from the area to Tomelloso, with some unconfirmed reports estimating a crowd of up to 3,000 people.
In an interview with Cadena Ser, mayor of Tomelloso Inmaculada Jimenez said she was alarmed at the event, adding that ‘many were not complying with the obligations to wear a mask and to keep a distance of two metres.’
According to local reports, Policia Local were called and several officers arrived on the scene but no incidents were reported.
The Ciudad Real area of Madrid has been one of the hardest hit zones in the capital in terms of COVID-19, with over 200 deaths recorded so far.
So-called Botellons have been common across Spain since the late 1980s and see young people gather in public spaces to drink and play music.
Formed as a solution to increasing drink prices in clubs and bars, botellons are similar to what the UK would call ‘pre-drinks’, and usually disburse in the early hours when the nightclubs open.
