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LIFE IN SPAIN

What will be open over the May ‘puente’ holidays in Spain?

What shops and supermarkets will be open in Spain on the May 1st bank holiday? And how about in the places where it's a 'puente' long weekend on Thursday May 2nd and Friday May 3rd?

Published: 30 April 2024 09:35 CEST
Updated: 1 May 2024 06:26 CEST
What will be open over the May 'puente' holidays in Spain?
What will be open on Labour Day in Spain? Photo: Guerrero De la Luz / Pexels

Labour Day, called Día Internacional de los Trabajadores in Spain, takes place on May 1st every year. This year it falls on a Wednesday.

It is considered a holiday in all regions across Spain, so no matter where you live in the country you will most likely have this day off work or school.

Schools, most businesses and many shops will also be closed on this day, but what exactly will stay open?

READ ALSO: Is May 1st a public holiday in Spain?

Supermarkets

Many supermarkets will be closed in Spain on May 1st, so if you need to stock up on food, it’s best to do it on Tuesday, April 30th instead. There are, however, some 

Mercadona

Spain’s largest supermarket chain will be closed on Wednesday in locations across the country.

El Corte Inglés

The El Corte Inglés supermarkets, as well as the department ​​stores will close in all regions on Wednesday, May 1st.

Carrefour

The French supermarket giant has many branches across Spain, but whether they remain open or not will depend on the individual stores as all of them have different opening hours and schedules.

Día

Día will open some of its stores in larger cities around the country for specific hours on Wednesday, typically from 9:30am to 3pm. 

Lidl

Like Dia, Lidl will open some of its stores only and mainly from 9am to 3pm only.

Alcampo

Alcampo supermarkets are open every day of the year, including Sundays and holidays. During public holidays, however, many will have special hours and will close at 8pm.

Will pharmacies in Spain be open on Labour Day?

Your nearest farmacia or pharmacy may be open on May 1st, but it will depend on where you live and their individual rules. Some pharmacies may open for special holiday hours, which is usually 9am-2pm, though it will depend on the individual branch. Others may be closed and only have one main branch open in your neighbourhood. 

Will bars and restaurants be open during the holiday?

Bars and restaurants typically decide themselves with regards to opening hours on public holidays, but generally most should stay open.

Local bars might be closed, but bigger restaurants and chains will likely stay open. In some regions that have a puente or extended holiday like in Madrid, some local bars and restaurants may close for a few days.

Will schools be open in Spain on Labour Day?

No, all schools across the country will be closed and students will have a day off. In addition, schools in Madrid, Asturias, Cantabria and Navarra will also be closed on Thursday, May 2nd and Friday, May 3rd.

Students in all other regions are expected to return to school after just a one-day holiday, unless they have communicated otherwise.

Gyms

It may be a day off from work, but many people like to spend their down-time working out.

Gyms, unless they are municipal ones, usually operate privately and therefore will decide on their own hours and decide if they will stay open or not. 

What about on the other May ‘puente’ holiday days?

Thursday May 2nd and Friday May 3rd have been declared regional school holidays in Asturias, Cantabria and Navarra. This means workers could take these two days off to get a five-day break. As it relates to school holidays and they aren’t regional holidays, many supermarkets are shops are likely to be open. 

The exception is the regional holiday in Madrid on May 2nd, which commemorates the day in 1808 when the population rose up against Napoleon’s troops in the Peninsula War. That means that supermarkets such as Mercadona, Alcampo and Día will be closed, although you will still find that Supercor/Hipercor and Carrefour Express in the city are open with reduced hours.

It’s also El Día de la Cruz or Day of the Cross on Friday May 3rd in Granada, Córdoba and Almería, as well as in Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, so don’t expect many stores and supermarkets to be open in these places on this day.

On Saturday May 4th all shops and businesses will be open as usual across Spain, and on Sunday they be will be closed except for in tourist areas. 

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PROPERTY

Noisy bars and clubs in Spain: What are my rights?

There's no denying that Spain is noisy, and its propensity for party means loud music and rowdiness from bars and nightclubs is a nightmare for many neighbours who can't sleep due to the noise. So how can they fight it?

Published: 21 May 2024 11:26 CEST
Noisy bars and clubs in Spain: What are my rights?

In this article, we’ll be specifically looking at what you can do about noise from bars and clubs, so you can find out what the law is and what are your rights.

If you want to know what your rights are on noise from construction, find out here and what to do about noisy neighbours here. 

Noise from bars is a typical problem in Spain because many of them are located on the ground floors of blocks of flats. Another reason is that when the warm weather arrives in summer, bars move outside and so the sound floats up to your window so much more easily. Add this to the fact that streets are often narrow and music reverberates around plazas, and it’s easy to see why it’s a common problem.

We all know Spaniards love to party and about the late-night culture, here, so while in some countries, nightlife spots close much earlier, in Spain they can often be open all night.

So, what you can do if you find yourself living near a bar or nightclub? Do you have to simply put up with it every weekend and not sleep or is there something you can do?

Firstly, it’s important to note that all nightlife venues in Spain are required to comply with regulations regarding noise levels and closing times. They must also be respectful of neighbours.

City councils and regional authorities are granted the power to regulate noise in the areas where leisure venues are located, so it’s important to find out what your local regulations are. Establishments must also use insulation to adhere to these rules.

In general, according to Law 7/2002 on protection against noise pollution, these are the maximum sound levels allowed for leisure venues:

Nightclubs: 104 decibels
Venues with musical entertainment: 90 decibels
Game rooms: 85 decibels
Bars and restaurants: 80 decibels

There are plenty of apps you can download on your phone, so you can check the noise level from your apartment or home. If they are above these numbers, then you know the establishments are breaking the law.

Steps you can take:

Talk with the owner

If loud music is an issue, the first step is to let the owner of the bar or club know. If you can’t find the owner because they’re not on-site, get their contact details from a member of staff. If they will not hand them out to you, you can always go to your local Town Hall and find out.

Put a message in writing to the owner, so they know the noise levels are disturbing you. Talk to them about how it’s affecting your sleep and the health and well-being of you and your family.

Take action with your neighbours

If the problem persists, speak with your neighbours to find out if they are angry about the noise too. Get a group of people together who all feel the same way and bring the problem up at your next meeting of owners. Try to get the president of the building association involved too.

Contact the bar or club owner again as a group explaining how many people are affected.

READ ALSO – ‘La comunidad’: What property owners in Spain need to know about homeowners’ associations

Find out if the club is entirely legal

Perhaps the bar or club hasn’t followed all the rules correctly, so it’s important to find out if the establishment as a whole is legal.

Check that the nightclub or leisure venue has all the necessary permits for this type of business such as opening and activity licences. This information can be obtained from the City Council.

The premises must have adequate soundproofing, but often because a licence is needed to carry out the works, they don’t bother.  

If any of these are not in order, then you can report them to your local town hall.

Check closing times

Another point you can check is if the venue is closing when it should be. You can contact your local ayuntamiento to find out when this should be.

Stand outside the bar or club at closing time and see if they shut their doors at the correct time. If not, call the police so that they can witness the infringement.

Closing time means that there shouldn’t be any clients or workers left in the building at that time. Even if the door is shut, but the staff are still inside, it still counts as breaking the rules.

Contact the police

If the noise problem still continues after these steps, it’s necessary to bring in the police. They can carry out their own checks to see if any laws are being breached and hear the problem it’s causing for you and your neighbours.

If the noises resume when the local police leave, call them again. It’s your right to be able to sleep and relax if the clubs are breaking the law.

If you have the support of other neighbours, you can coordinate making the calls so the police receive complaints from more than one person in the building.

The record of the police report will be very useful in filing a report if you need to take your case to court.

Contact the owner again

If the owner still isn’t complying, even after the police have been to talk to them several times, you need to put your complaint to them in writing again, stating all the steps you have taken and the laws they are breaking.

Again mention how it is detrimental to the health of you and your neighbours. Send it via Burofax so that you have legal proof that the owner has received it.

Report the venue to the City Council

Report the noise pollution to the City Council, and demand that they enforce the Municipal Ordinances and Regulations.

Contact a lawyer

If all else fails, it’s time to contact a lawyer and file an official complaint to the courts. Keep in mind, this may be a long and stressful process and it may be costly for you too.

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