Solaris Nerja festival cancelled one week before opening due to poor ticket sales

Entertainment

The event was to create a beachfront venue with nine spaces where Chambao, Les Castizos and Claptone, among others, were going to perform

Regina Sotorrío

Despite ambitions to make it the new summer festival on the Costa del Sol, Solaris Nerja will not open at the Playazo beach next week, as planned. The organisers have cancelled the entire programme due to low ticket sales, after "months of work, enthusiasm, meetings, calls, ideas and a tremendous amount of effort".

The latest decision puts the performances of Les Castizos, Chambao, Bresh Nerja and Claptone and themed nights of flamenco and techno-flamenco on hold.

Poor ticket sales have rendered unfeasible a project that aimed to create a temporary beachfront venue with nine different areas: from a food court to a family-friendly play area and a market.

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"After a technical, operational and economic evaluation of the project, we have concluded that current conditions do not allow us to guarantee the standards of quality, safety and experience that we consider essential for holding Solaris Nerja 2026," the organisers stated in a press release late on Wednesday.

They haven't directly addressed ticket sales, but close sources have confirmed that the issue is financial, not administrative. Nerja town hall had provided all the necessary authorisations for the festival to have the green light.

Just hours before their message, the smaller sister-festival Oh, See! Nerja also announced its cancellation.

"Ticket sales haven't reached the level needed to make the festival viable and to offer the event that the public, the artists and everyone involved deserve," the organisers of Oh, See! Nerja explained on their social media on Wednesday.

Solaris Nerja was supposed to mark the 25th anniversary of Chambao's music career and host DJ sets by renowned artists such as Les Castizos, Claptone and Marsal Ventura, the Bresh party, Miguel de Antílopez, La Corredera and Ginebras.

The organisers will automatically refund the ticket amount via the original payment method within ten business days.