On July 15 and 16, the Son Bauló part of Can Picafort will host the Reggaeton Beach Festival. It is expected to attract some 15,000 people. There have been demands from hoteliers and residents for it to be called off. There are concerns about noise, environmental damage and security. Santa Margalida town hall says that it has no intention of cancelling it.
The chief of Santa Margalida police is Manuel Gallardo. Two years ago, he took a somewhat unusual career route and left his post as a National Police deputy inspector to take over in Santa Margalida. Regarding the festival, he says that there have been a number of meetings. "Apart from the security issue, we are faced with a big traffic problem. Can Picafort has an entrance but no exit and being able to receive such a large number of people and cars is going to be difficult. Remote car parks, shuttle buses, traffic lights and control … we are working on it." This does of course mean coordination with the Guardia Civil.
Critics of the festival argue that there aren't the police numbers to control the event. For Gallardo, the situation is far better than it was. When he took over, there were only seven officers. There are now 19. But as he acknowledges, this is a force for a municipality with three urban centres which are quite a distance apart and have different needs - Santa Margalida itself, Son Serra de Marina, and Can Picafort, one of Mallorca's most popular resorts.
Last year's festival was held at the Mateu Canyellas Sports Centre in Inca. This did cause some problems, most notably damage to the athletics track. Inca town hall sued the organisers.