Starlite Festival 2020

Starlite Festival - Marbella

The Starlite Festival is a month-long music and cultural event held in July / August at the Cantera de Nagüeles, in Marbella. It is now established as one of the important annual social and entertainment events in Spain.

Star-themed fashion at the Starlite Festival.

The stage is surrounded by 60 metre-high rock walls, which creates an interesting, intimate atmosphere, like a secret, hidden venue beneath the stars for the 2,200 guests. Access is slightly complicated, but worth the effort. Except for VIPs, cars need to be parked a mile away and minibuses shuttle guests up and down the hill.

The festival set is slightly different every year and has to be reconstructed each season. It is impressive, logistically, to appreciate that everything down to the last bottle of water, in this glamorous lounge and concert venue, has to be brought up the hill to the former quarry. In the main auditorium, VIP attendees sit in "Bubble Boxes" (eight-seater boxes) behind and elevated above the 15 rows of stalls and where waiters serve drinks during the concerts.

STARLITE FESTIVAL 2020

Starlite Festival 2020 was held at the Cantera de Nagüeles, Marbella in difficult circumstances due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  In late 2019 the organisors had announced the festival to run from from 10th July 2020  to the end of August.   Even when the pandemic caused a full lockdown in spain in March and April it did not look like the festival would be affected.  The organisors made few announcements and in late June the start of the festival was delayed from the planned opening to 29th July. Bonnie Tyler and other internationally known artist postponed with dates announced in 2021. Travelling to Spain would have required UK based artist and their crew to enter 14 day quarantene on  their return 

Most other musical events were cancelled. Starlite had the advantage of an open air venue and grandstand seating with no standing  anyway in the auditorium. As long a social distancing could be maintained the show could go on.  

Ketama, flamenco fusion trio,  opened on 27th July just after 22.00 to a very different open air starlight festival concert. The audience were all wearing masks and sitting in singles or couples with two empty seats between them. There was however a standing ovation for Antonio Vega with a versions of "Se dejaba llevar". 

Taburete, attracted unwanted publicity over the weekend of 8th August when social media video appeared show standing audience dancing to Taburete who told everybody form the stage to 'take the <explicative> masks off.'   The organisors later released alternative video of a part of the same concert shot from the back of the grandstand which did appear to show social distancing. Take you pick.   

2020 Artists line up was:

BUS SERVICE

Since 2016 Starlite have provided a free shuttle bus service from Marbella. The bus is from Marbella Alameda, Farmacia Berdaguer, Edificio Portillo,  Porcelanosa near Plaza Bocanegra to Starlite. It runs about every half hour from 22.30 hrs to 06.00 hrs.   

All editions of Starlite festival

Line up and notes about the other editions of the Starlite festival: