In short
- The contracts tribunal has dismissed the appeal that was blocking the festival, so the Fundación Cueva de Nerja can finalise the contract with the successful bidder.
- The new contract covers 2027 and 2028 and can be extended until 2031, with up to twelve concerts and shows each July in the auditorium in the gardens of the Cueva.
- The artists and ticket sales will arrive between December and January; there are still no specific dates, line-up or prices.
The Festival de Música Cueva de Nerja will return in July 2027 after two summers without taking place. The Fundación Cueva de Nerja announced on 11 November that the Tribunal Administrativo Central de Recursos Contractuales (Central Administrative Tribunal for Contract Appeals) has rejected the appeal that had kept the festival's contracting process on hold. It is an event with a long history: according to the Fundación itself, its first edition was held in June 1960.
The tribunal rejects the appeal and lifts the suspension
The ruling, dated 22 October 2026, fully dismisses the appeal lodged on 12 June by the company Mundo Management against the award of the festival to PIES Compañía Discográfica. According to the Fundación, the tribunal concludes that the successful bidder meets the required criteria and rejects the objections regarding its capacity, experience, financial standing, resources, artistic exclusivity and certifications.
That appeal had left the process suspended since June. The tribunal upheld the suspension on 6 July and did not lift it until the October ruling, too late for summer 2026. The Fundación blames the successive appeals and suspensions for the festival being unable to take place for two consecutive years. It can now resume formalising the contract.
A contract until 2028, extendable until 2031
PIES will take on the full organisation of the festival: booking artists, stage, sound, lighting and screens, logistics, security, cleaning, medical care, parking, buses, food and drink area, shop, ticketing and promotion. These are the terms set out by the Fundación:
- Duration: the 2027 and 2028 editions, which would be the 64th and 65th, with up to three annual extensions that would take the contract to 2031.
- Fundación contribution: €748,869.40 a year, including VAT.
- Programme: up to twelve concerts and shows per edition, in July, featuring flamenco, dance, classical music, pop, rock, indie and other stage productions.
- Venue: the Auditorio Manuel del Campo, in the gardens of the Cueva de Nerja.
What we still don't know about Festival Cueva de Nerja 2027
The Fundación expects to announce the 2027 artists between December 2026 and January 2027, with ticket sales due to start in the same period. There are as yet no specific dates within July, line-up, prices or ticketing platform, so any schedule circulating before that announcement has not been confirmed by the organisers.
Nerja is not the only festival to have missed an edition this year: we look at the other cases in the festivals that fell through in 2026 and which ones have said they will return. Once names are announced, we will add them to the festival calendar.
Sources: statement from the Fundación Pública de Servicios Cueva de Nerja, 11 November 2026; Infonerja and Axarquía Información, 11 November 2026.
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