Nerja Cave Festival cancelled for second consecutive summer after legal appeal halts contract

The Cueva de Nerja foundation confirmed on Friday that the 2026 edition will not take place after a fresh appeal suspended the five-year contract to organise and operate the festival. The appeal is being considered by Spain's Central Administrative Court for Contractual Appeals (TACRC), which has automatically frozen the award procedure until it reaches a decision.

The cancellation means one of Malaga province's longest-running cultural events will once again be absent from the summer calendar. The 2025 edition was also called off after legal challenges delayed the tendering process.

In a statement, the foundation said it had taken "all the necessary steps" to try to preserve the festival and had fully cooperated with the TACRC throughout the process. However, it concluded that the lack of a decision within the required timeframe made it impossible to organise the event while meeting legal, technical and safety requirements.

"The lack of a ruling within the necessary deadlines makes it materially impossible to organise it this year," the foundation said. It added that there was no longer enough time to secure production services, announce the line-up, sell tickets or coordinate the operational and security arrangements needed for an event of this scale.

The foundation had begun the procurement process in November 2025, seeking a single concession covering the 2026 to 2030 editions. The contract, valued at more than 12 million euros over five years, included plans for between 10 and 12 major concerts each summer, along with production, technical services, security and event management.

The tender process has been marked by repeated legal challenges. The contract was initially awarded to Mundo Management S.A., but rival bidder Pies Compañía Discográfica S.L. appealed the decision. The TACRC upheld that challenge, excluding the original winner because of deficiencies in its documentation.

Following that ruling, the foundation awarded the contract to Pies Compañía Discográfica and announced the festival's return, with concerts expected to take place between 10 July and 2 August.

However, Mundo Management then lodged a further appeal against the revised award. Under Spanish procurement rules, that challenge automatically suspended the procedure, preventing the foundation from signing or implementing the contract while the case remained unresolved.

The foundation also requested that the precautionary suspension be lifted, arguing that continued delays would cause "serious harm to the public interest". However, no ruling was issued in time to allow the event to go ahead.

The cancellation had been widely anticipated since late June, when sources familiar with the process told SUR that the successful bidder had almost completed the programme and was preparing to announce the artists before receiving notification of the latest appeal.

The loss of the festival adds to a difficult summer for Nerja's cultural programme. Earlier this year, the Solaris Nerja and Oh See! Nerja music festivals were also cancelled after poor advance ticket sales, leaving the return of the Cueva de Nerja Festival as one of the town's main cultural attractions.

Founded in 1960 to coincide with the official opening of the cave to the public, the Festival of Music and Dance at the Cueva de Nerja has welcomed internationally renowned performers including Maya Plisetskaya, Yehudi Menuhin, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Paco de Lucía, Sara Baras, Joan Manuel Serrat, Pablo Alborán and Ana Mena.

The foundation said it "deeply regrets" the cancellation and reaffirmed its commitment to legality, transparency and legal certainty. It added that once the TACRC issues its ruling, it will decide the next steps in accordance with Spanish law, with the aim of ensuring the festival's future editions can go ahead.

According to the foundation, the event has been one of Andalucía's leading cultural festivals and, apart from the pandemic and the past two years, has been held almost continuously since the cave first opened to visitors.