Today is the National Day of Spain, or Fiesta Nacional de España, commemorating Spanish legacy worldwide, and what better way to celebrate it than by commemorating the legacy of one of Spain's foremost musical traditions, Benidorm Fest!
With 42 winners and hundreds of participating songs to date, did you know that Benidorm Fest's history and legacy extend far beyond its 2022 reboot? Read on to find out more about the fascinating and at times tumultuous history of Spain's prestigious song festival.
Benidorm's beginnings
To understand how the idea of a song festival in Benidorm was born, we must go back to the 1950s. Pedro Zaragoza Orts was appointed as the Mayor of Benidorm by the Francoist State in 1950, at a time when Benidorm was a small town without many economic prospects and only 102 hotel rooms.
He thought that the town could be turned into a beachside resort that would attract tourists not only from Spain, but also from all over Europe.
Pedro Zaragoza Orts rode a Vespa for nine hours to advocate to Francisco Franco, caudillo of Spain, that the country should open to tourists.
According to The Economist, "the dictator, amused by this small, round, moustachioed man with motor oil on his trousers, became a fan at once".
Zaragoza encouraged the building of high-rises in Benidorm, as he felt it allowed more people to see the beaches and feel the sea air, and in 1952, he allowed women to wear the newest fashion of bikinis anywhere in the town, a practice which was previously illegal in Spain.
So Benidorm had sun, sand, sea, and plenty of tourists, but what about the songs?
In 1958, the idea of holding a Spanish song festival similar to Italy's Sanremo Music Festival came up, and in July 1959, the first edition of an event called the Festival Español de la Canción de Benidorm, translating to "the Spanish Song Festival of Benidorm" in English, took place, organised by the Red de Emisoras del Movimento (REM) from Benidorm's Manila Park.
Benidorm Song Festival's legacy
Benidorm Song Festival's thousands of spectators soon outgrew Manila Park's small capacity, so the festival moved to the Benidorm Palace Auditorium.
The first edition of Benidorm Song Festival was so popular and the economic and advertising impact was so profound that many other Spanish cities wanted to steal the festival for themselves, but in the end, it would remain in Benidorm.
The festival's popularity expanded once more, moving its venue to the city's Bullring, before finding a permanent home at the Palace Auditorium once again.
From 1959 until 2003, Benidorm Song Festival's legacy spanned almost four decades, spawning countless Spanish music stars, from two-time Spanish Eurovision artist Raphael, to Julio Iglesias, who represented Spain on the Eurovision stage in 1970.
Both these artists won Benidorm Song Festival in 1962 and 1968 respectively, with the songs Llevan and La vida sigue igual.
As Benidorm became the epicentre of musical diversity in Spain, many other Spanish Eurovision artists also participated in Benidorm Song Festival, including a very young Karina, then known as Maribel Llaudes, who tried her luck in Benidorm a decade before representing Spain at Eurovision with Un mundo nuevo in 1971.
Without Benidorm Song Festival, Spain may not have seen its first taste of Eurovision victory. Dúo Dinámico, who wrote Massiel's Eurovision-winning hit La La La, got their start at Benidorm Song Festival, competing for the first time in 1962, then again in 1966. In Spain, their popularity was compared to that of the Beatles.
Throughout the years, Benidorm Song Festival's format underwent many changes to keep the Spanish audience engaged. In 1983, the festival was not competitive, and the following summer, Benidorm Song Festival was not held at all.
A break and a return
It would return again in 1985, inviting pop-rock groups such as Alphaville in an attempt to lure a younger audience, but this failed to raise the public's interest, leading to Benidorm Festival's cancellation in 1986.
In 1993, after a seven-year break, Benidorm Song Festival returned with two categories, the pop rock and light song finals, and two winners, one from each category. This decision was unpopular with the Spanish public and a single winner was reinstated the following year.
In 2004, the competition went international, with the show being renamed Benidorm International Song Festival. As of 2006, the winner of Benidorm International Song Festival would receive the Golden Mermaid (Sirenita de Oro) trophy and a €36,000 prize to produce a record.
During these later editions of the festival, Eurovision stars including La Década Prodigiosa (also known as La Década, who participated in Eurovision for Spain in 1988), Mikel Herzog (Spain 1998), and a very young Barei (Spain 2016) as part of the duo Dos Puntos, took part. This international expansion was to be short-lived, however, with the festival being cancelled after the 2006 edition due to a lack of interest.
Benidorm Fest Reborn
After a 15-year hiatus, a revamp of the original Benidorm Song Festival known as Benidorm Fest was announced by the Spanish broadcaster RTVE as the platform for Spain to select its Eurovision entry, with the first edition of this format taking place in February 2022.
According to RTVE, the aim of the modern Benidorm Fest is "to create a modern and contemporary musical show," serving as a meeting point for established Spanish singers and a platform for young hopefuls who dream of a future in music.
The winner of Benidorm Fest receives a bronze microphone trophy and the right to represent Spain at Eurovision. Although the winner receives priority, victory at Benidorm Fest does not mean they are obliged to be Spain's Eurovision representative.
Today, Benidorm Fest's history is honoured in the city for all to see. A replica of the bronze microphone can be found on Benidorm's coastline along with a replica of the Sirenita de Oro, along with the names of each artist who has won Benidorm Fest in all its incarnations.
The Future of Benidorm Fest
Has the Benidorm Fest reboot been successful? From the highs of Chanel's booty hypnotic 2022 Eurovision hit SloMo reaching the podium to the Iberian nation's most recent entry, Nebulossa's Zorra, giving them another bottom 5 finish on the scoreboard, results at the Contest have been a mixed bag for Spain.
As Spain chases an elusive third victory at Eurovision, one thing is certain: Spanish Eurovision fans and hopeful musicians are as passionate as ever.
2025's edition of Benidorm Fest received "nearly 1000 songs" submitted to the selection, a new record for the modern incarnation of the festival. 16 of these songs will participate in next year's edition of Benidorm Fest on January 28th and 30th 2025 in the semi-finals, and in the grand final on February 1st 2025.
More on Spain in Eurovision and Benidorm Fest:
For continued updates on all the Eurovision Song Contest news follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and TikTok. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
Commentaires