Aina Losange, lashes out at the Patron Saint festival and compares it to the Megapark: “It looked like a party for tourists”
The Mallorcan DJ questions the model of the celebration promoted by the municipal government and demands more prominence for local artists and, especially, for women
PalmaThe second edition of La Patrona, the summer festival promoted by the Palma City Council to offer an alternative to the Sant Sebastià celebrations during the cold months, which took place this past Saturday, has generated criticism among some of the attendees. One of the voices that has publicly questioned the festival model has been the Majorcan DJ Aina Losange, who claimed to have felt "completely out of place" during the event held this Saturday at the Parc de la Mar.
Losange has focused on the type of music and atmosphere that was offered. In a social media post, the DJ explained that she and her companions arrived around 11 p.m. and that, despite not having been there for the entire party, her impression was that many people were already leaving. "Our feeling was that we had accidentally landed at an event more for tourists," she wrote. In this sense, she criticized the combination of electronic music with proclamations in English and references that, according to her perception, made one doubt whether they were at the Patron Saint's festival or at Megapark, a well-known establishment for its large influx of tourists located in El Arenal.
The DJ wanted to make it clear that her criticism is not directed at the artists who participated in the party. In fact, she expressed respect for the musicians and sent "a special hug" to Freenipples DJ, who she considers was "wasted" by performing as the opening act at 7 p.m. The criticism, as she explains, has more to do with the general approach of the event. "You can bring international artists, play electronic music, and throw a rave if you want, but Mallorca has enough culture, talent, and its own identity for a patronal festival to resemble it a little more," she defended.
Losange asserts that they finally decided to leave because they did not feel "welcomed in our own city." "And it's kind of strange," she added. The party started punctually at 7 p.m., with the first attendees arriving at the Parc de la Mar. The space was prepared with a stage, bars, and services installed for the occasion.
Demands more women on stages
Another aspect that Losange has questioned is the prominence of women in the lineup. La Patrona is a celebration linked to the figure of the patron saint of Palma and, precisely for this reason, the DJ considers that it could be an opportunity to give more visibility to female artists.
"If the idea is to recover and give prominence to the celebration of the female figure who is the patron saint of our city, what a beautiful opportunity for women to also occupy a leading place on its stages," she pointed out. In this sense, she ended her reflection with a question: "Is it that there are no female DJs and artists in Mallorca, the Balearic Islands, Spain, or literally the planet Earth to occupy the main time slots, right?".
Losange's words thus open a debate not only about the festival's lineup, but also about the model of celebration that the current government team of Cort wants to consolidate around La Patrona and whether a public festival should schedule an event in which almost all of the artists were foreigners.