The Marbella music event is returning in style with a longer run, some 200 artists performing and it expects to receive around 350,000 guests from some 80 countries
The Starlite Festival in Marbella will take place between 10 June and 4 September this year and is expected to generate 227 million euros, which is 24 per cent more than the last time it took place, in 2019. It is thanks to this that the festival will run for three months, with more concerts and increased international marketing.
In 2019 the event attracted 281,427 visitors and this year more than 350,000 are expected to attend. This is the biggest Starlite yet, with more than 200 artists performing, and 70 of the concerts in the auditorium. Eleven years after it first began, it is now considered the most important festival in Spain and the tourism authorities say it will be key to the economic recovery of the sector, which has been badly affected by the pandemic.
A boost for local employment
The Starlite Catalan Occidental festival, to give it its full name, will directly create 1,000 jobs for a period of four months, of which 95 per cent are normally taken by residents of the Costa del Sol. Anyone interested in this work will be able to register from 20 April onwards on the Job&Talent portal for interviews which will take place in the Palacio de Congresos in Marbella in early May.
The organisers have signed agreements with the principal broadcasters in Latin America and the USA including Atresmedia Internacional, Claro TV, Sky, Cablevisión, Direct TV, Liberty, Tigo and Verizon, reaching over 24 million homes in more than 60 countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, UK, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Publicity for Marbella and Andalucía
The media coverage is important publicity for Marbella and Andalucía and many tour operators are focusing on the festival as part of their tourism packages. The event now attracts visitors of over 80 nationalities including from countries as far-off as Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Greenland and Thailand.
The organisers say another reason Starlite is so important is that it is committed to showcasing talent and promoting culture. Although there are many top names performing this year as usual, it is a major opportunity for young up-and-coming artists to show the world who they are and what they can do.
