Getafe City Hall Demands Cancellation of Mad Cool Festival Over Noise Pollution
Getafe City Hall has officially filed objections against the operating licence for Mad Cool Festival, whose tenth anniversary edition is scheduled for July 8–11, 2026 at the Iberdrola Music venue in Villaverde, Madrid. The municipality has submitted a body of acoustic measurements that, according to its technical staff, document an unbearable noise impact on more than 32,000 residents of the Getafe Norte district.
Mayor Sara Hernández has stated the findings are objective technical data, not a matter of opinion, and that the neighbourhood already faces acoustic saturation due to the nearby M-45 motorway — a situation made worse by large-scale events to levels that breach Spain’s Noise Law. A criminal case is already open against the festival for exceeding permitted decibel limits. Hernández has argued that Getafe residents deserve the same protection afforded to those living near the Bernabéu stadium in Madrid or the City of Arts in Valencia.
The city hall also flags a dramatic increase in activity at Iberdrola Music: programming has grown 425% since 2023, from four festival days to 17 confirmed events in the 2026 season, generating mobility and safety concerns around the venue. The Stop Mad Cool Platform and the Regional Federation of Residents' Associations of Madrid have filed separate complaints, warning against the site’s de facto conversion into a permanent entertainment complex.
The festival, celebrating a milestone tenth edition with a headline-heavy lineup, now faces an uncertain future. A potential relocation — with only two months until the scheduled opening — would pose enormous logistical challenges for organisers, who have yet to make a public statement.
