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Live Nation’s Mad Cool festival reduces capacity to 60,000 and introduces an extra stage for 2020 in an attempt to “learn from past errors”
By Anna Grace on 24 Oct 2019
Mad Cool 2018 had a capacity of 80,000
image © Paco Poyato
The organisers of Mad Cool festival in Madrid have reduced capacity, increased stage numbers and added an extra day to make the 2020 edition “more comfortable and pleasant”.
The fifth outing of Live Nation’s Mad Cool will have a capacity of 60,000, a 25% decrease from the year before. For the first time in 2020, the festival will run for four days, from Wednesday 8 to Saturday 11 July.
Since launching in 2016, Mad Cool has grown rapidly from a starting capacity of 45,000 to 80,000 last year. The festival moved to its current home, which can accommodate 35,000 people per day, in 2018. This “massive growth” has led to some “incidents” in past editions, festival director Javier Arnáiz told IQ in a post-season reflection.
In another bid to tackle overcrowding, the festival will have an additional stage next year – bringing the total number to seven.
“The five-year mark signifies a massive challenge for a festival that always wants to be better and learn from its mistakes”
More space will be also dedicated to rest and relaxation, with a “larger and more varied” food offering.
“We are satisfied to have arrived to where we are with a committed team, top-class artists and, above all, a dedicated audience,” say organisers in a statement. “However, the five-year mark also signifies a massive challenge for a festival that always wants to be better and learn from its mistakes.”
Last year was “tough” for Mad Cool and other festivals across Europe, according to Arnáiz. Sales were lower than usual, which was due to a “lack of headliners” and the strength of previous billings.
“We have to continually work to improve the experience of our audience”, Arnáiz told IQ.
Line-up and ticket information for Mad Cool 2020 will be available in due course.
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