Real Madrid stadium owners to face trial over concert noise

Madrid: A neighbourhood association is taking the owners of Real Madrid s football stadium to court over noise pollution from concerts, according to a...

Madrid: A neighbourhood association is taking the owners of Real Madrid's football stadium to court over noise pollution from concerts, according to a court document seen by AFP on Thursday.

The association is aiming to "defend" its "quality of life" from the negative impacts of the Santiago Bernabeu's redevelopment and its subsequent use as a venue for concerts and other events, instead of just for hosting Real Madrid's football matches.

High-profile concerts, including by American megastar Taylor Swift, held in 2024, upset local residents in the wealthy Chamartin neighbourhood in the north of the Spanish capital because they surpassed legal noise pollution levels.

The neighbourhood association filed a legal complaint against the Real Madrid Estadio company and a judge has decided that the case will proceed to court.

"There are indications of the occurrence of acts allegedly constituting a crime against the environment, in the form of noise pollution," said the judge in a court document issued on January 15, and seen by AFP.