A number of residents of La Plana area in Sitges have complained to the Sitges Town Council and local police about the level of noise and the closing time of the Barraques concerts that are being held in the open field located next to l’avinguda Sofia and the train line.
The local councillor for culture in Sitges, however, has said that the organisers are ‘scrupulously complying with the timetables’ and noise levels.
The complaints to the local police and, above all, via comments expressed on social media, have focused on the duration of the concerts and the subsequent DJ acts, that they say have gone on until 3am. Some neighbours have also claimed that the sound checks start at 10am and then continue throughout the day, although the organisers dispute this. There are also those who have said that the decibels generated by the concerts are exaggerated, and that the concerts should be held in the ’empty carpark near the old Atlantida club’.
Most of the comments are from residents of La Plana and Santa Bárbara, but also from Vinyet, who say they can also hear the music. In almost all cases, they complain that ‘they can’t sleep until 3am’. The local police have also received calls from neighbours who complain about the high noise and the closing time.
The Barraques music started on Friday and the last concerts are held on Monday 15 August night. 27 groups are participating in this year’s festival, which is being held in La Plana for the second consecutive year. Up until 2019, the Barraques concerts were held in La Fragata.
In response to the complaints, groups of young people from the town, as well as the local councillor for culture, Xavier Salmerón, have defended the holding of the concerts, stating that they are taking place within the permitted framework, as well as the need for young people to be able to enjoy these events.
Salmerón tweeted that ‘the Barraques are scrupulously complying with the timetables and the decibels marked in the municipal permit, which already by themselves and against certain wishes, were restrictive enough’. He added that ‘some residents should learn to live together in a municipality where culture is alive’.
The local councillor for fiestas, David Martínez, said that ‘the Barraques comply with all the established regulations in terms of hours and decibels’ and added that ‘every time we get tired of so many complaints. In the end we won’t be able to do anything’.
Les @BarraquesSitges estan complint escrupolosament els horaris i els dB marcats en el permís municipal, que ja de per si i en contra de certes voluntats, eren prou restrictives. Alguns veïns haurien d'aprendre a conviure en un municipi on la cultura és viva. https://t.co/9HfDAPz3lJ
— Xavier Salmerón 🎗️🔻🌈 💜 (@xsalmeron) August 15, 2022
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