Seville City Council has decided not to reopen the Paraíso grandstand at the Lope de Vega Theatre for the Flamenco Bienal after confirming that the structure cannot support the weight of the seats. Buyers will receive refunds in the coming weeks.
Seville City Council has confirmed that it will refund the price of hundreds of tickets sold for the Flamenco Bienal corresponding to the Paraíso grandstand at the Lope de Vega Theatre. The decision comes after two technical reports concluded that it cannot be guaranteed that the theatre's structure can support the weight of the 113 seats planned for that space, according to municipal sources.
The Culture delegate, Ángela María Moreno, explained that the process of refunding the affected tickets will begin in the coming weeks and that buyers will receive all the information about the procedure. The Council had already sold all the tickets for that grandstand for the nine performances of the Bienal that will take place at the Lope de Vega between September 12 and October 2.
The local government led by José Luis Sanz has avoided specifying the exact number of tickets sold or the revenue generated from them. Municipal sources indicated that the initial proposal to install a removable grandstand was discarded because no company wanted to take responsibility for the assembly as the necessary load calculations had not been carried out.
The central grandstand of the theatre is currently dismantled, with debris, electrical cables, and construction pipes. Nothing remains of the previous wooden structure that served as seating for the upper tier. The space is empty and littered, according to sources from the City Council.
On March 13, municipal spokesman Juan Bueno already warned that restoring the current grandstand system was not viable and that a complete replacement of the structure with a new one was necessary. However, the construction project has not even been tendered or awarded two months before the first scheduled premiere.
The situation has caused discontent among flamenco enthusiasts who purchased tickets months in advance. The Flamenco Bienal is one of the city's most important cultural events, and the cancellation of these tickets reduces the theatre's capacity by more than a hundred seats per performance.
Moreno assured that the City Council will promptly inform those affected about the steps to follow for the refund. However, the opposition has criticized the Council's management for selling tickets for a space that did not exist and whose availability was uncertain.
The Lope de Vega Theatre, managed by the City Council of Seville, is one of the main venues for the Bienal. The inability to use the Paraíso grandstand will require relocating or refunding money to the spectators who had purchased those tickets, which poses a logistical and financial setback for the festival's organisation.
The Council has not yet detailed whether it is considering any alternatives to increase capacity in future editions, such as the construction of a new permanent grandstand. For now, the priority is to manage the refunds and ensure that affected spectators get their money back as soon as possible.
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