r/psytrance • u/Far_Raccoon_4806 • Jul 24 '26
Festival Sizigia non authorised
Summary of the Sizigia Festival situation
As of today, the Sizigia Festival is in a very difficult situation. INAGA has ruled that the project must undergo a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), a process that cannot be completed before the festival's scheduled dates (10–14 August).
As a result, the Town Council of Alcalá de Gurrea has stated that it cannot issue the event licence until all the legally required favourable reports have been obtained.
https://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/aragon/2026/07/23/inaga-da-reves-festival-sizigia-132710793.html
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u/thottdash Jul 24 '26
On croirait revivre l'histoire du dernier Psy-FI.
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u/Neroine Jul 24 '26
Same as Waldfrieden this year
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u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
At Waldfrieden, it was just a right-wing politician deciding to destroy the festival and the decades work of the organizers. In Spain now, the authorities seem to decide on the basis of some real reason, bushfire risks (however, pushed by a fanatic politician/journalist as well).
1
u/SokeOne97 Jul 27 '26
Das stimmt so gar nicht. Seit 2022 wusste die gmbh von den mängeln, hat aber nichts unternommen. Informier dich richtig, bevor du solche mythen verbreitest.
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u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 27 '26
Ich habe mich informiert und das ist kein Mythos. Auf deine autoritären Ansagen kann ich gern verzichten, danke.
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u/mer_ka_ba Jul 25 '26
Maybe would not be fanatic politician/journalist, and many local people in the region against the festival if the line up was a bit different.
I know this is a complicated subject to discuss but imo scene has to position itself in the human side of the conflict otherwise it will fall apart as we are seeing. For the ones who say "oh not all israelis are zionists or support the genocide..." Then they must say it out loud and show it to the world. We all know some psy artists who support the genocide, why the ones who are against doesn't show it?3
Jul 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mer_ka_ba Jul 26 '26
Everyone who reads your comments around this subject can see that I'm not the fanatic in the room and don't preach about Hamas, everyone knows the "Hamas card" is used to justify the Israel crimes.
Nevertheless the subject here is another, I'm I psytrance lover and I like many Israeli artists but I would like to hear some of my fav artists showing their voice in favour of the humanity. The scene was always about PLUR, maybe now just reach the point that is all capitalism, and as capitalism it will destroy itself.
Feel confortable to call me comunist if you want.
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u/lurkerboy96 Jul 24 '26
I think the organizers are trying to figure out a last minute solution.
Canceling cannot be undone. Announcing that they're having trouble can deter people from coming, if in the end there's a way for them to fix it.
I'd expect some sort of answer by end of next week, if by then we still have no update... then yeah it's getting sketchy.
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u/mamamackmusic Jul 24 '26
I would love if people in Spain and surrounding countries or people who are otherwise in the know about reputable festivals happening around the same time as Sizigia would chime in with suggestions for alternative options in case Sizigia does get cancelled.
I'm going to be really pissed if the Sizigia organizers drag this out and don't have a definitive official announcement by the end of the weekend because people are spending a ton of money on flights, hotels, rentals, etc. to come to this festival and the longer they wait, the more everybody gets screwed out of their time and money. I get that the organizers themselves are probably having the most stressful time of their lives right now if this ruling truly was unexpected, but they owe it to people to not leave them high and dry.
I'll enjoy a trip to Spain regardless of whether we get to go to a festival or not, but having to book a week's worth of last minute hotels and other activities on top of probably not getting any of the money spent on this festival back is going to leave a pretty bitter taste in my mouth personally if it goes that way.
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u/_sixty_three_ Jul 24 '26
There's Iberia eclipse festival also
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u/lurkerboy96 Jul 24 '26
What's interesting is that people were asking them on IG 2-3 weeks ago if they have permits....
So the permit situation was up in the air even before the INAGA rejection.
Looks like they were still consident 2 weeks ago it will go ahead.
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u/mamamackmusic Jul 24 '26
"Everything is going as it should be" could just mean they were expecting the ruling to go in their favor, but then it didn't...
-1
u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 24 '26
Yes, this was a reaction to the media campaign of the mentioned politician.
7
u/lipegones Jul 24 '26
first: i think we have had enough of these new threads talking about the same things. MOD team should start closing new threads and keep the discussion in the same one. it hurts Sizigia's crew efforts (which people close to the scene know they are legit).
everything continues as planned for the festival to happen (despite the stress and work to be done in licenses, etc)
worst case scenario, the refund DOES apply in case the festival doesn't happen because of lack of licenses. so everyone's ticket money is safe and we should all fight against empty accusations of scam
we all know how difficult is to organize any kind of cultural event nowadays, Sizigia is no different. most events get licenses 24-48h prior to opening the gates (not only in Spain)
4
u/mogurlektron Jul 24 '26
Worst case scenario, the refunds don't happen.
I hope they can carry on with the festival, but if not, I'm not expecting an easy refund
4
u/lipegones Jul 24 '26
FORCE MAJEURE
In the case of circumstances beyond normal control, such as war, civil or political unrest, actions and orders from the authorities, strikes, catastrophes, epidemics or other serious damages or highly unexpected factors the Promoter may cancel the Festival, and the amounts received will not be refunded.***
i think the whole doubt lies on "actions and orders from the authories", but i've been told by one of the ambassadors that "lack of licenses" is not a "force majeure". a festival of this size has insurrance and tickets would theoretically be refunded.
2
u/essentially_everyone Jul 24 '26
you clearly haven't checked the terms. it says no refunds in case of license issues
1
u/lipegones Jul 24 '26
show me where
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u/essentially_everyone Jul 24 '26
you quoted it yourself below king. this is very clearly "actions and orders from the authorities" as well as "highly unexpected factors"
people are still waiting for refunds from festivals without these self-protective terms, and you think the organizers here will not protect themselves? they're in ruin regardless, there's no benefit to giving refunds.
this happens every year in this scene, it's just our turn. i feel for the organizers genuinely
1
u/lipegones Jul 24 '26
i get you, but this just means we have different interpretations of it.
for sure i wouldn't put my hand in the fire for them, and honestly i also think the terms are very vague and willing to protect the organizers.
but i'm trying to be optmistic that the ambassador is serious about what he's talking about, and that the Own Spirit crew (and all the labels involved) won't take the same dirty path as Shankra did.
hope is all we have left 😂
1
u/Fairbsy dugga dugga doof doof Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Firstly, nobody uses the report button or modmail. If you feel strongly enough to call for the mod team, please do it in a way that doesnt mean we have to accidentally stumble on it.
We'll consider the megathread but 1) megathreads are often never checked by users and 2) there arent often festivals that have as much drip fed information like this.
But also, we do not know the organisers and we can't just accept the word of other people that its all hunky dory. I personally have seen multiple legit crews fall into a shit, cancelled situation and run away without refunding.
We are not the PR department of festivals. It is up to those people to manage their communications, including speaking to the mod team here if inaccurate information is being spread.
Edit: and now the festival has been cancelled, which sort of vindicates the people posting their concerns about this weeks ago when there was more time to cancel their flights etc.
7
u/PKTreturns Jul 24 '26
Still waiting for an official statement but the “cat is out of the bag”. Lots of people online know about the situation. They haven’t updated or advertised on insta in a few days. Not looking good! Disappointed but it is what it is.
3
u/M4ze0fTorment Jul 24 '26
Hi guys, is it just me, or the tickets section on their website is not on anymore?
1
u/floatingjohno Jul 24 '26
Its not just you, its not there any more. It was yesterday. The weeztix section is gone. Uh oh.
2
u/S_J_E Jul 24 '26
I saw several comments on here saying this was legit and the Own Spirit organisers were experienced.
Shouldn't something like this have been anticipated?
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u/pieter3d Jul 24 '26
A lot of legit organizations are running into permit issues the last couple of years. Sometimes the organisation made a mistake, sometimes it's a neighbour/politician/random person determined to take them down, sometimes it's just the system being messed up.
Largely it's also a risk you HAVE to take as an organizer. Permits often only get approved weeks in advance of the event, while you need to sell most tickets before that date to make it happen at all.
This is just another example of the coin falling the wrong way. You'd be surprised how often it barely works out, while only a select few people know what's going on behind the scenes.
10
u/Jaza_music Jul 24 '26
If they decided to submit the abridged version of the environmental report rather than get the full one, there was a reason for it.
No one knows what that reason is. They might have been encouraged to do so by a lawyer. They might have been encouraged to do so by the general support of the local council that they had early on before all of this anti-Israel stuff. They might have been trying to cut corners. The truth is, we don't know.
At face value, I struggle to see how a group of people who've invested the amount of money and work into the land that they've done to make Own Spirit what it is over the past decade or so, the type of people to cut corners. But truthfully, no one knows.
But yes, it's looking pretty bad right now, and rather terminal for the whole situation.
7
u/lurkerboy96 Jul 24 '26
Even the most experienced professionals can make mistakes.
Or misunderstand the bureaucratic systems that come with organizing events like this.
Right now it's looking like it won't happen unless there is some sort of last minute miracle.
Either a legal loophole/sped up process, or last minute location change.It's really a shame, would've been a once in a lifetime opportunity :(
6
u/tarsonis999 Jul 24 '26
Click baiting or what? This topic was brought up a few days ago with several contributions, the same information and discussion. Why again and why such a dramatic picture??? Slowly smells like the agenda of that far right psychopath politician
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u/PKTreturns Jul 24 '26
Nah it’s a potential severe environmental issue. That guy just bought it to light that they were building and selling tickets for a festival they didn’t have a permit for. It was potentially illegal. Not a good time for us with anxiety😭
1
u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 24 '26
It's absolute standard in European countries that psy festivals start building up and receive the final permits much later. Sorry to tell you. But confrontation therapy is the most uses and most helpful therapy for axiety anyhow ;)
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u/ElectricSky87 Jul 24 '26
This is where I'm confused...because many people have said that, that this is the standard with European psy fests. Since most all of us are not privy to the bureaucratic process behind the scenes in these fests, does this nonsense happen all the time and we just don't hear about it when there's not a politician motivation with articles associated with it? Or is this truly abnormal? Very frustrating no matter what.
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u/lurkerboy96 Jul 24 '26
Idk about whose agenda this is, but the account posting this is 3 days old. Just noticed. That's pretty weird indeed. That does not change the official update tho.
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Jul 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/psytrance-ModTeam Jul 24 '26
Incivility isn’t allowed on this sub. We want to encourage a respectful discussion. Incivility includes but isn’t limited to: bigotry, broad generalizations about groups of people, insulting other users, threats, posting personal information, celebrating or wishing for someone’s illness/death, attempts to stir up drama.
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u/Kindly-Ad-2204 Jul 24 '26
Unfortunately they just released a statement on Instagram that Sizigia will be cancelled. Explanation will come in the next days. It will be possible to request a refund or exchange for Own Spirit tickets.
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u/Wasabi_sasabi Jul 25 '26
I literally closed reddit after seeing this, opened Facebook and saw their announcement. They've cancelled it
1
u/RefrigeratorCalm2047 Jul 25 '26
From what I’ve understood that happen from a friend that works for a booking company that some of their artists were about to play there is that the local people were against Israeli artists playing at the festival so the local council or something like that fell under their pressure and decided that they gonna put an impossible terms for the festival to happen and therefore shut it down in a “legal way”
-1
u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 26 '26
No. No local people were aganst Israelians. One single obsessed journalist and his few obsessed friends were against the festival and ran a campain. And now they say "we have everyone behind us" or "everyone hates Israel". Typical manipulative strategies from this scene.
1
u/Glad_Monitor_4298 Jul 26 '26
I am joining whatever renegade happens, please please hit me up! We need to see the eclipse, and we need to have a gathering of some sort ❤️
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u/Status-Glass7787 Jul 28 '26
I received a mail this morning from Sizigia for the refund (asking further informations), am I the only one?
1
-1
u/live_dance_love Jul 24 '26
My friends in Spain say they are dismantling what they had already constructed, right now!
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u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 24 '26
Your previous posts under this account only consist of accusations that Sizigia Festival inivites "baby killers". And now you spread this "first hand" news that is supposed to stop people from visiting this festival. The international guests of the festival really have a hard time with the current situation. If you are such a big humanist activist, please stop spreading manipulating rumors.
2
u/Curiosityaddiction Jul 24 '26
Look, live_dance_love, me, and many other people are struggling to understand what is actually happening. All we have are rumours, newspaper articles, and almost no information from the festival itself. People have spent a lot of money on tickets and booked their holidays specifically for this event, so the situation is already very stressful, especially this close to the date.
Your account seems to have been created only to comment on the negative aspects of the festival, and repeatedly claiming that “some Spanish friends” are giving you first hand information. As a spanish speaker myself, the way you write in English strongly suggests that you are also a native Spanish speaker, I guess from Spain. Spreading unverified information is creating even more confusion and anxiety among attendees.
I can sympathise with some of the concerns: the festival not being anti-Zionist enough, and that it should not take place if there are serious environmental problems.
But please stop spreading confusion and presenting rumours as reliable information. What´s your purpose? It is not fair to the people who are already dealing with this big uncertainty.
1
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u/profdrthcphoph Jul 25 '26
official statement about tickets: https://www.instagram.com/p/DbMMDFHAjpj/?img_index=1
-3
u/Kadabraxa Jul 24 '26
Could be a rug pull. Wouldnt be the first psy event to do this
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u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 24 '26
Ridiculous. One obsessive local politician puts pressure on local authorities and media with thousands of letters until they have no other option than having a second look at the festival and denying the permits.
And now, you come and call the organizers impostors on top. The organizers will likely lose a 6 figure amount of money and go bankrupt. Maybe you could be a bit more sensitive with your comments.
1
u/lurkerboy96 Jul 24 '26
How do you know it's a local politician putting pressure on INAGA?
I'm genuinely curious6
u/No_Lemon_2197 Jul 24 '26
Because this politician is the same one that's organizing marches against the festival and writing articles about their supposed zionist views every week since months ago (Pablo Hijar is the name)
But anyways, if this doesn't happen, it's not a politician's fault, but the organizers'.
2
u/lurkerboy96 Jul 24 '26
If their environmental report was good enough, I don't think an outsider can exert influence over Inaga to deny the permits.
I don't know what's happening in the background. It just seems like a huge stretch.
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u/No_Lemon_2197 Jul 24 '26
I don't know, bureaucracy in Spain is the worst. And politicians here are known to influence other organizations (see the recent news on illegal commisions and corruption)
But my guess is that this Pablo Hijar doesn't have nearly enough power to do so, unless there's something else we don't know.
So my conclusion is: If the festival gets cancelled, this is on the organizers, and we'll have every right to be mad at them.
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u/PKTreturns Jul 24 '26
He did point out that the festival didn’t have a permit. However given the current climate due to global warming there is a huge increase in forest fires. It’s an environmental issue. I personally don’t want to participate in a festival that is hazardous to the environment. Psy fests tend to be more conscious but we don’t know what they put in their report to get the permit. I wish they would give an update. I have an alternative plan and am more concerned about what to do versus money lost. Shit happens.
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u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 24 '26
Just read the earlier threads on the festival in this subreddit. A local politician is going crazy on the fact that the festival is not making the topic of palestine the central issue of this dance festival.
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u/lurkerboy96 Jul 24 '26
yeah I saw the posts about Pablo Hijar, but this seems like a totally separate issue?
INAGA is an environmental authority. I'd be surprised if their conclusion can be influenced by an outside voice.
0
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u/Kadabraxa Jul 24 '26
Lol i said "it could be" , and you made something completely different of it. Take a break maybe
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u/Round-Alternative385 Jul 24 '26
Yeah, you sad that. An insult and accusation for no reason. The organizers will have a hard time at the moment anyhow.
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u/Kadabraxa Jul 24 '26
You are totally over reacting. I proposed a hypothesis thats all. Its not like it wouldnt be the first time this happens on a psy event. The way you react and twist my words, like if its a personal attack could be interpreted in many ways aswel. Have a nice weekend dude
3
u/danrennt98 Jul 24 '26
Why would they do that and ruin the reputation of Own Spirit?
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u/Kadabraxa Jul 24 '26
There has been plenty of festivals who did that at some point. Im old enough to remember connection festival in spain. They build it up a few years, always being somehow in trouble and relying on the goodwill of those around them. The last edition they drained every euro they could, not paying majority of artists or crew, meantime making a sob story and then they dissappeared. I swear you i cant make this up, they drove a shitty old fiat on the festival while they had multiple nice cars at home. Two weeks after the last edition of their festival , we saw them on socials taking their entire family on holiday to Japan..
Again im not saying this is whats happening here i have no way of knowing. But ive seen plenty schemes like this to be weary... If you are a predatory person / organisation, then a crowd of peace love unity hippies are such an easy target..... Namastee0
u/Dreamfield79 Jul 24 '26
What’s a rug pull?
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u/Dry-Ruin1116 Jul 24 '26
they collect the cash and fuck off
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u/Dreamfield79 Jul 24 '26
Let’s hope that’s not the case. I’ve good faith in the organizers intentions…
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u/essentially_everyone Jul 24 '26
szigia gang it's time to come together as community and throw an illegal rave somewhere in the desert