“Know someone going to Benicassim? Make sure they see this video”, advises Alicante Consulate
The Benacassim festival is the largest in Spain and British fans make up around 80% of festival goers.
The countdown to Benicassim music festival has started and in a YouTube video produced by the British Consulate, the 18,000 British music fans expected to attend Spain’s answer to Glastonbury are being encouraged to take two simple measures to ensure they don’t miss out on the festival as a result of having their possessions stolen.
The Benacassim festival is the largest in Spain and British fans make up around 80% of festival goers. In previous years, as many as 110 British passports were reported lost or stolen, alongside a small number of other consular cases, ranging from hospitalisations to sexual assaults.
Commissioned by the British Consulate in Alicante, the Enjoy Benicassim Festival video which has already attracted over 6000 views on YouTube, contrasts the fun of festivals with personal stories from some of the victims from last year’s event telling how having their passport and valuables stolen ruined the festival for them.
British Consul in Alicante, Paul Rodwell, comments:
We want people to spend their time enjoying the festival rather than missing out on the fun by having to spend it with us replacing a lost or stolen passport, which is both time-consuming and expensive.
The video is just one of the initiatives being taken by the Consulate to reduce the numbers of victims of crime at festivals. A social media campaign has also been launched by the British Embassy in Madrid and the Consulate in Alicante is working closely with the Benicassim police, town hall and festival organisers to raise awareness of potential risks.
Mr. Rodwell concludes:
If you know someone coming to the festival, get them to watch the video and make sure they keep themselves and their belongings - especially their passport – safe. The video is easy to find, just search for Benicassim 2013 on YouTube, scan the code on this article or send them a link.