Andorra's Espot Calls for Earlier Festival Closures After Santa Anna Unrest

Andorra's parishes, including Andorra la Vella, have voiced support for a government-led working group to assess festival schedules, alcohol service and security protocols in the wake of recent disturbances at Santa Anna festivities in Escaldes-Engordany and Encamp's Festa del Poble.

Andorra la Vella's cònsol, Sergi González, expressed readiness to join the joint table despite calling for a broader perspective on major festivals. He stressed that such events extend beyond concerts to include numerous daytime family and sports activities. While acknowledging that longer celebrations may statistically raise incident risks, González urged evaluating the full program before considering cuts to duration.

He viewed favorably a potential one-hour alcohol service halt before closing but insisted decisions emerge from the working group to weigh benefits and drawbacks. "We cannot say yes or no to alcohol measures outright; we must assess them," he said, reaffirming his backing for collaborative forums.

For Andorra la Vella's upcoming major festival starting Thursday—with concerts from 10pm to midnight—González confirmed no extra security beyond the standard police plan, which the parish has long coordinated. He described the event as calm and family-oriented with established timetables, expressing confidence in the current model.

Other parishes remain committed to the effort. Encamp sees the issue as complex, favoring late-hour alcohol limits, staff training and prevention alongside any hour reductions. La Massana's cònsol major, Eva Sansa, backs security upgrades and uniform scheduling via consuls' talks. Ordino's Maria del Mar Coma noted bolstered measures at its recent Roser festival, including a 30-minute alcohol pause pre-close. Canillo, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany also pledged participation, with the latter set to share rental details soon.

Health Minister Helena Mas promoted voluntary parish-driven steps under the National Plan against Drug Addiction, such as water stations and rest zones. Head of Government Xavier Espot proposed the review post-Thursday-Friday Santa Anna unrest—deemed isolated amid overall success—without fixed timelines for changes. Parishes emphasize tailoring solutions to local contexts while ensuring fairness.