The third edition of the Benidorm Fest begins in search of new audience successes and musical projection

This Thursday, the Plaça del Castell in Benidorm was the stage chosen to officially kick off the third edition of the Benidorm Fest, the event organized by Spanish Radio Television, the Generalitat Valenciana and Benidorm City Council to choose the artist who will represent Spain in the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez; the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón; and the president of RTVE, Elena Sánchez, have formalized the signing of the agreement with which the three institutions ratify their collaboration in this event, which will hold its two semi-finals on January 30 and February 1 and the grand final, on Saturday, February 3, from the Palau d'Esports l'Illa in Benidorm. Along with them, the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Generalitat, Nuria Montes, also participated in the event; the regional deputies Manuel Pérez Fenoll and Mario Villar; numerous councillors of the Municipal Corporation, as well as a large representation of Benidorm's civil society.

Twelve days before what he defined as “a musical show without equal in our country” begins and before a large crowd of media from all over Spain, the mayor recalled that this event was born in 2022, still with many limitations prevailing due to the pandemic, and has trusted that this edition will end up consolidating the success achieved in the previous two. Pérez has highlighted that a good part of this success is contributed by Benidorm: “This city is an important part because of the brand, because of the story, because of our Song Festival, because it is a city where music is another element, where There is music every day of the year", which added to the "interest of Radio Televisión Española in organizing a high-profile event, puts us before an unfathomable horizon."

In his speech, the mayor of Benidorm highlighted the “combination of talent, capacity, innovation and spectacle” of Benidorm Fest, a “top-level show that is backed by a huge and impressive RTVE technical team and the support of the Generalitat Valenciana", in an edition in which, in addition, "there are many artists or authors from our land, which also contributes to promoting our brands both on a musical and promotional level." For this reason, he has thanked Elena Sánchez and Carlos Mazón once again for their support so that the city continues to be the scene of an event "for which we do not doubt that there are many editions left."

Toni Pérez concluded by highlighting the impetus of Benidorm Fest for music and for the 16 artists selected to participate in its final phase, with the objective set not only for the Bronze Microphone that is awarded as a prize for this contest but also for the Cristal, the prize that will be awarded to the winner of the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the final of which will be held in Malmö, Sweden, on May 11.

The act in which this event was officially kicked off was presented by the Director of Communication and Participation of RTVE, María Eizaguirre. Before Toni Pérez, the president of RTVE, Elena Sánchez, took the floor to thank the “trust” of the Generalitat Valenciana and Benidorm City Council in this Corporation to carry out this event, which she defined as “a milestone.”, remembering that the tickets to attend the galas as an audience were sold out in minutes. Elena Sánchez has also recalled that in 2023 Eurovision Contest was the most watched non-news program of the year, something that she has attributed to the “projection” inspired by Benidorm Fest, an audience that everything indicates will be even larger this year than judging by the “great reception of the participating songs”, which lead all the playlists on the main music platforms. Finally, he made a toast “for the success of this third edition and an infinite future for Benidorm Fest.”

For his part, the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, has welcomed this new edition of the musical competition to “the cradle of the happiness industry that is Benidorm”. In addition to publicly thanking the previous autonomous Administration for its commitment to launching this project, he has assured that the new Consell "takes the baton with all the enthusiasm and ambition to go further", something that, as he has recognized, would mean winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

In this presentation, in addition to María Eizaguirre, the singer Ruth Lorenzo also participated, and will lead Benidorm Fest galas together with the journalists Marc Calderó and Ana Prada. Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of her participation in Eurovision, which takes place this year, Lorenzo has applauded the support that this event provides to the musicians and artists of our country, where she "not only wins whoever wins the contest." In her opinion, this contest and the variety of topics selected in this third edition will be “the best showcase to connect with any type of audience and to give visibility to all types of artists.”

Assembly and tickets for the previous parties

The assembly of the stages where Benidorm Fest galas will take place began on January 6 at Palau d'Esports l'Illa in Benidorm, where around 300 RTVE operators are working to convert this sports space into a futuristic entertainment set. television, oval and with an area of 581 square meters, which is made up of two fundamental parts: the central circular area, which includes a large circular screen on the floor, and two side tunnels that connect to the back of the stage. In addition, it will have an impressive high-resolution LED screen in the centre, also oval.

At the other end of the venue and right in front of the Benidorm Fest stage will be the surface that will house the 'Green Room' – the area where the artists rest after performing their show – and the jury table, all with an extension of 475 m².

Finally, there will also be a space for the public who will be able to follow the galas 'in situ', on the one hand, from the dance floor itself, which will be located between the stage and the 'Green Room' area; while the rest of the audience will occupy the stands located on the sides. The public area will have an approximate area of 680 m².

During the week of Benidorm Fest, between the semi-finals and the final gala, RTVE, the City Council and the Generalitat have organized different activities that will take place throughout the week to attract “Euro fans” and liven up the event. This same Thursday, RTVE announced the sale of tickets for the opening party of Benidorm Fest, which will take place on February 28 at the Benidorm Palace. Tomorrow, Friday, tickets will also go on sale to attend the 'Euroclub' party that will take place on January 31 at the 'KU' nightclub. Finally, on Friday, February 2, one day before the grand final, there will be a free concert at Plaza de la Hispanidad, near the Tecnohito, in which Blanca Paloma, Rosa López, Gonzalo Hermida and Sharonne will perform.