Holika and Gran Reserva will be held in Calahorra for at least the next three years and the festivals will be even bigger. This was announced this morning by the mayor of the city, Mónica Arceiz, who together with the CEO of Burcor Producciones, Mario Cornago, appeared at a press conference accompanied by the Councillor for Culture, Reyes Zapata, and by the councillor of Izquierda Unida Óscar Moreno, the latter especially active in the negotiation between the City Council and Burcor.
A complicated negotiation between the City Council and the production company with a happy ending for both parties, since the City Council will have the certainty “in writing”, through a sponsorship contract, that the festivals will remain in Calahorra for these three years, while the production company will obtain a financial endowment of 350,000 euros and, something very important for Burcor: more physical space for the festival.
According to Mónica Arceiz, the sponsorship contract establishes, first of all, the City Council’s commitment to “continue investing in space infrastructure to increase the capacity to at least 25,000 people.” In addition, Burcor will receive 100,000 euros for Gran Reserva and 250,000 for Holika.
Arceiz highlighted the contract as a good agreement for Calahorra “because Calahorra demanded it” and, addressing Cornago, said: “You have reached the hearts of the Calahorrans” after commenting on the enormous interest that Holika arouses among young people and that “Calahorra in general awoke with Gran Reserva.”
The mayor was proud that the festival was finally staying in Calahorra, “the best city for it and in the best place”, referring to the surroundings of the Cidacos Park and the Cathedral, where the festivals take place, and where new spaces will be created to expand the event, “always complying with the law” the mayor stressed.
Mario Cornago: An idyllic setting and a firm commitment to Calahorra
The young businessman Mario Cornago also praised the “idyllic” setting of the festival and noted his joy at being able to continue in Calahorra, after a “very complicated” month of July due to the business decision he had to make.
As he has said on other occasions, his “vocation” was to stay in Calahorra but he has felt “overwhelmed” by the offers from other cities. According to what he later stated, there were four interested cities, whose offers exceeded one and a half million euros, all capitals “with excellent airport and rail connections” that had been attracted mainly “by the connection with Miami that the festivals will have next March”.
“It was essential to have a larger venue to be able to compete at a national and even international level” declared Mario Cornago, to justify his need to negotiate with the City Council, since according to what he reported, the assembly of the next festivals “will involve an investment of between 8 and 10 million euros”.
Cornago had words of affection for all the people of Calahorra, and especially for the holikers and for the City Council, which he effusively thanked for its good disposition and reiterated its decided commitment to Calahorra.
In this sense, he announced that this commitment even involves centralising its headquarters in this city and he reported that this very morning he had signed with the notary that the social headquarters will be in Calahorra. The company will be divided between two warehouses, the one they already have next to the venue and the other in the old “Conservas El Pilar” factory.
The contract is for three years, but the businessman has not hidden his desire for the festival to continue being held for longer.
Óscar Moreno: «We could not allow it to leave the city»
The councillor for Izquierda Unida, Óscar Moreno, also spoke at the press conference. He commented that he was the one who contacted Burcor in 2017 and reviewed what the transfer of the festival to Calahorra in 2019 was like.
«It would have been a very important loss for the city as a whole», commented Councillor Moreno, who has played a leading role in the negotiations «which have not been easy, he explained, because the offers that Burcor had were much stronger, but we could not allow it to leave the city, and what we offer cannot be offered by others, such as the surroundings of the park and our full willingness to collaborate».
The councillor for Izquierda Unida has emphasised the benefits that Calahorra obtains with the festival, highlighting the «Calahorra brand» that will travel to Miami.
«There would be no money in the City Council to pay for the projection of the ‘Calahorra brand’ in Miami», he stressed, convinced that «the city wins».
Ticket sales and dates
The dates for the next Holika festival are already set for June 25, 26, 27 and 28, 2025, while they are yet to be decided those of the Gran Reserva festival, although the most likely dates are July 4 and 5.
The tickets will go on sale in August, according to the businessman.