The good weather has arrived, and in recent years this period was the beginning of a nightlife phenomenon that has generated quite a few problems in Spain in recent years: the bottle. Mass gatherings of young people, and not so young people, in urban spaces, squares and streets, until the wee hours of the morning, sometimes causing quite a few problems for residents to rest and, in others, provoking conflict situations, including fights. and attacks, were the order of the day. For more than a decade, this fashion has been the subject of analysis among specialists, the cover of the media and the object of investigation by security forces.
But data is beginning to appear that points to a decrease in drinking in large cities. This is stated by Vicente Pizcueta, founder of the NGO Controla Club and spokesperson for the sector, who has been observing for some time that "we believe that 2024 can mark a before and after of this phenomenon" after analyzing this reality in several Spanish cities. He points out that after the end of the pandemic there was a spectacular increase in bottles, but that for some time now complaints from neighbors have been falling as well as the number of gatherings. A hypothesis that is also defended by Antonio Sánchez, advisor to the Department of Citizen Security of Valencia: "We register fewer complaints from neighbors," he points out.
There are several factors that are pointed out. The first is police pressure, especially "prevention" work. An activity that has increased since 2022 and that has convinced thousands of young people to give up enjoying leisure in the middle of the street due to the risk of being fined. Data from Madrid, Seville, Valencia or Alicante support it. In the case of Valencia, the data supports the work of the Security, Support and Prevention Unit (USAP) of the Local Police. But Antonio Sánchez warns, however, that "we have to see what happens now with the arrival of the heat, we have been with this unit for a short time, but at the moment the neighborhood complaints are much less than before."
Vicente Pizcueta adds other factors, such as the change in perception of young people regarding the bottle. "It is changing, before it was seen as something fun, but there are more and more young people who see it as an activity of certain risk, especially with the appearance of gangs and groups that use these spaces for group violence or even sexual assault" . He comments that his NGO detects that the idea of "leisure in a safe place" is gaining ground. "Meetings in private homes, shared apartments or contracted spaces are beginning to increase to feel safer, especially for women," he adds. In some cities like Alicante, what triumphs is the "tardeo" and the "botellón" also increases in the parking lots of the nightclubs, where there is a greater feeling of security.
Will the bottle run out? Pizcueta is not so categorical, but he does warn that "an interesting change is taking place in the way of having nightlife that may leave drinking as an unattractive activity." He recalls that the Police intelligence systems "are very perfected, they detect conflict zones and calls in time, which makes their work more effective." He gives as an example that before Covid in Spain more than three million people practiced bottle drinking every month. Now this is not the case, and little by little it will be reduced, he predicts.
