An administrative court in Madrid has rejected a complaint by the organization Ecologistas en Acción against the Manzanares river illumination project. The reason for the decision was a procedural error consisting of not exhausting the administrative appeal route before taking the case to court.
Complaint rejected
The Juzgado de lo Contencioso-Administrativo ruled that the complainants had not exhausted the required administrative appeal route, which prevented a substantive review of the case.
Dispute over an 'event venue'
Ecologists oppose transforming the renaturalized riverbed into a venue for mass events and light festivals, such as Madrid Luz.
Threat to the ecosystem
Community organizations fear that artificial lighting will disrupt the life cycle of the fauna and flora that revived after the river's renaturalization in 2016.
A Madrid administrative court has rejected a complaint by environmental and neighborhood organizations against the project to light up the banks of the Manzanares river. The Juzgado de lo Contencioso-Administrativo ruled that the complainants, including the confederation Ecologistas en Acción and the Pasillo Verde-Imperial association, had not exhausted the required administrative appeal route before taking the case to court. The judge dismissed the argument about the occurrence of flagrant illegality, which could justify directly filing a lawsuit without first appealing to the administrative authorities. The justification stated that the organizations were aware of the lack of grounds for such a procedure as early as July 4, 2024, yet decided to file the complaint only on October 2, 2024.
Representatives of the community side emphasize that the Manzanares river, after its renaturalization process, has become an ecological corridor that should not be used for commercial purposes. The organizations oppose transforming the riverbanks into a venue for mass events, arguing that artificial light negatively impacts local fauna and undermines previous conservation efforts. The Manzanares river, a tributary of the Jarama, flows through Madrid and has been undergoing a renaturalization process since 2016–2018, involving the opening of weirs and the restoration of its natural flow. Thanks to these actions, numerous species of birds, fish, and natural riverside vegetation have appeared in the riverbed in the center of the Spanish capital, becoming a symbol of the city's ecological success. Disputes over the intensity of lighting in the Madrid Río project have persisted since the installation of the first illumination systems, which according to ecologists disrupt the circadian rhythms of animals.
The dispute centers on the lighting around dam number 8 (Presa 8) and installations prepared for the international light festival. The Festival Internacional de la Luz Madrid event began on March 12, 2026, and will last until March 14, presenting numerous illuminations in the urban space. Opponents of the lighting project maintain their position, stating that the river cannot serve as a playground for large events. „El río no es un eventódromo y su renaturalización está en peligro por la luz artificial” (The river is not an event venue and its renaturalization is endangered by artificial light) — Ecologistas en Acción via 20 minutos
Legal battle over Manzanares lighting: July 4, 2024 — Determination of lack of grounds; October 2, 2024 — Filing of the complaint; March 11, 2026 — Court decision; March 12, 2026 — Festival start