The ‘Terraza San Mateo’ will be the name of the new space that will replace the ‘Espacio Peñas’ during the upcoming mateas festivities, which will take place from September 20 to 26 in Logroño, next to the La Ribera bullring.
To achieve this, as stated by the City’s Promotion Councilor Miguel Sainz this Tuesday, a concession will be granted to a music promoter, initially for 2025 and 2026, with an annual minimum fee of 5,000 euros.
This is a way, as the councilor mentioned, to address the problems that the Peñas Federation encountered last year in finding a promoter for their traditional ‘Espacio Peñas’, resulting in its cancellation.
This concession document, which will evaluate quality, fee offerings, involvement of festive groups and the community, as well as the space’s sustainability among other factors, will go before the Local Government Board «in two or three weeks», ensuring readiness for the festivities after the summer.
The municipal intention is for this open and free space to have «a musical, cultural, and family-oriented program» from 12 pm to 1 am on weekdays during mateas and until 2 am on weekends, specifically Fridays and Saturdays.
In Sainz’s words, «our priority is for this cultural offer to be of high quality and to embrace activities that reflect the spirit of the community organizations in the area and the groups connected to the festivities, such as regional houses or peñas, who can certainly have their space here under a direct relationship, as it will be a concession, a contract between the City Council and the promoter.»
Access to the space will be free until reaching the set capacity for each activity, which will vary, «although for major concerts, the maximum capacity of the space will be 8,000 spectators.»
The document stipulates the free nature of all events, but also allows for «an exception» that «if the promoter and the City Council reach an agreement, a paid concert could be scheduled, with a maximum ticket price of 25 euros – something that seems «distant» for this year. It also suggests the possibility of municipal sponsorship for a concert, which is ruled out for Sanmateos 2025.
The document also includes municipal collaboration in providing fences, chairs, or infrastructure such as stages, «as has been customary in recent years.»
EVALUATIONS.
The councilor explained how the proposals received will be evaluated, allocating up to 55 points «for the quality of the artistic and daytime leisure project, especially linked to its family-oriented projection and the involvement of peñas, regional houses, or neighborhood associations.»
«We will also reward good space accessibility, sustainability, minimal sound impact, and care for green areas with up to 20 points.» Lastly, the offered fee and the level of advertising and tourist promotion within and outside La Rioja will carry 25 points.
INFORMATION.
Both Miguel Sainz and the Councilor for Festivities, Laura Lázaro, emphasized that discussions have already taken place with several parties involved. For instance, Lázaro mentioned meeting with the President of the Peñas Federation in mid-March, who stated they had no plans and raised no objections, that municipal groups «are already informed,» and that a meeting with neighborhood associations is scheduled for next week.
According to the City’s Promotion Councilor, «this decision was made because we are at the end of April, on the brink of May, and we did not want to take risks like last year when the Peñas Federation struggled to find a promoter for the Espacio, leading to a critical situation last summer with little room for maneuver.»
Therefore, he emphasized, «we informed the Peñas Federation that given the timing, if we want a serious, high-quality, diverse program that highlights the new Terraza San Mateo, we had to launch this document now.»
«And that is what we are doing to avoid last-minute rushes like last year, not only this year but for the following ones as well. We will establish the Terraza San Mateo for the next two years, and even the next Council can extend the contract for two more years if desired,» stated Miguel Sainz.
He emphasized, «this is not the Espacio Peñas, it is the Terraza San Mateo where a festive, local, harvest atmosphere will be experienced, accommodating everyone. Circumstances have led us to take on this responsibility; we would have liked the Peñas to find a solution as before, but their usual promoter is no longer willing to continue, making it challenging to find a replacement.»
«However, we believe that with this approach, we can find someone, we trust that it has been achieved,» noted Sainz, concluding that the Terraza’s program «will not interfere at all with other events» planned for the festivities, such as concerts in the Town Hall Square or the upcoming enclosed venue at El Campillo. «These are very different from each other, and there is room for everything,» he concluded.
