Happy Sundays is new festival no3 for Madrid

Madrid’s festival renaissance continues unabated with the launch yesterday of Happy Sundays, a showcase of Spanish indie, pop and electronic talent taking place in the 50,000sqm Alfonso XIII Royal Botanical Gardens (pictured) on four Sundays throughout May and June.

Happy Sundays is Madrid’s third new festival for 2016 so far, following the announcement of Live Nation Spain’s Mad Cool Festival and Glaciar Music’s Utopía/Madrid Dance Island in January.

According to promoter Monkey Forest, the festival will be a family-friendly event that’s about “more than just music”. Its food offering will include barbecues, vegan dishes, local produce, “fusion tapas” and gourmet dining, and a fashion market will sell clothes and accessories.

Performers announced so far include Spanish acts Zahara, Miss Caffeina, Carlos Sadness, La Bien Querida, Belize, Napoleón Solo, Los Punsetes, Joe Crepúsculo, Meneo, Nueva Vulcano, Viva Suecia, Soledad Vélez and The Parrots.

The Spanish Association of Music Promoters (APM) released its seventh Live Music Yearbook on Wednesday, which showed that the value of the Spanish live music market has rebounded to 2011 levels – €194.5 million, an increase of 12.1 per cent on 2014 – much of it driven by a strong festival sector.