O BPM Festival, one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world, will take place at Praia da Rocha, in Portimão, between 14 and 17 September, after, in its latest edition, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in January, a shooting killed five people and wounded 15 others.
Following the serious incident, local authorities banned this festival, which took place in the Mexican city for ten years.
At the BPM closing party, on January 16, a sniper, who tried to enter the Blue Parrot disco with a gun, led to a reaction from the security guards. The shooting started and caused the death of four men. A woman also died from crushing when panic set in inside the club, says the Mexican newspaper El Universal.
According to the Mexican press, the author of the shooting was linked to the “Los Zetas” drug cartel, since a message from the group was found with specific references to the organizers of the BPM festival.
Following the events, Cristina Torres Gomez, mayor of Playa del Carmen, said, cited by El Universal, that "at this moment, the general attitude is not to carry out BPM here."
The Mexican mayor also criticized the way in which the organization of the festival sells "before obtaining authorizations and this damages the image of the destination and creates a negative image if the authorities impose different rules or do not allow its realization."
In the case of Praia da Rocha, tickets for the BPM, which cost 150 euros for four days, are already on sale.
According to Mexican mayor Cristina Torres Gomez, the request to cancel BPM in that country came from businessmen who called for «this type of event to go away. Let no more be allowed. We no longer want BPM here, nor any other event of this type».
Entrepreneurs in Riviera Maya, the Mexican tourist region where Playa del Carmo is located, say they prefer to “generate jobs in a good environment. We want good tourists to come, to leave their money here in a cordial and healthy atmosphere and for families and ourselves to be able to live in peace».
Isilda Gomes, president of the Portimão Chamber, in statements to the Sul Informação he says that it was with "surprise" that he learned of the festival in Praia da Rocha and sees this as an "opportunity for the city, even more so in September, when there are fewer people. My indications are that it is an event that can bring tens of thousands of people and this shows that Portimão is an attractive city for large events».
Asked about the departure of BPM from Playa del Carmen, Isilda Gomes said "she doesn't know the reasons, but there were ten other editions where nothing happened, it only happened once."
The mayor guarantees that “safety is a priority, especially in crowded areas. We hope that there are no problems, that there is adequate security and that it will be a great moment».
Isilda Gomes emphasizes, however, that “the Chamber does not have jurisdiction in Praia da Rocha. I hope that, when authorizations are requested, the responsible authorities will verify whether or not the conditions exist for the event to take place. If there are no guarantees of safety, it doesn't happen».
Before the edition that ended with the tragic outcome, the organization of the festival had already announced that, to celebrate the 10th anniversary, the BPM would have extensions in Brazil and Portugal, but the announcement that this would be in Portimão arrived last week.
Due to the shooting, the event in Brazil was canceled, but the one in Portugal remained. With the return to Playa del Carmen coming up against the will of the Mexican authorities, Isilda Gomes says she doesn't know if the Praia da Rocha event will be a unique event or to continue.
«I have no indication that this festival has intentions of continuity. For our part, it depends on how to run», concludes the mayor.
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