Graus Tradition at Risk as PP Government Schedules DJ Event During Historic Mojiganga Festival

The controversy centers on a municipal decision by the town’s PP-governed administration to schedule a “Fiesta Tardeo Remember” featuring DJs Isma Nordic and DJ Skudero at 20:00 hours on September 13 in the Espacio Pirineos parking lot. The traditional Mojiganga parade is scheduled to depart just 90 minutes later at 21:30 hours from the Glorieta de Joaquín Costa toward the Plaza Mayor for the main satirical performance.

According to the Comisión de la Mojiganga, a group of roughly 60 volunteers who spend weeks preparing the show without pay, the overlap amounts to self-counterprogramming. The collective stated that they received the municipal schedule first with astonishment and then with indignation, viewing the paid DJ event as a direct competitor funded with public money.

Cultural Protections and Institutional Recognition

The Graus festival of Santo Cristo and San Vicente Ferrer holds official national recognition. The Spanish Secretariat General of Tourism declared the patron saint festivities a Festival of National Tourist Interest on May 16, 1989, with publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on June 7, 1989.

Further protections were added in 2014 when the Government of Aragón issued an order on August 29, published in the Official Gazette of Aragón (BOA) on September 23, designating the festivities and La Mojiganga as a Cataloged Intangible Asset of the Aragonese Cultural Heritage. Official declarations emphasize the uniqueness of the event, particularly La Mojiganga’s satirical review of social life, which traces its documented origins back to the 17th century.

The organizing collective criticized the local government for spending public funds on a separate entertainment option under the rationale that not everyone enjoys La Mojiganga. Organizers noted that their work involves writing scripts based on local input, building sets, and handling costumes and technical production for an audience of about 2,000 attendees.

Decision Deadline and Historical Precedents

The commission announced it will communicate its final decision to Mayor José Antonio Laguens Martín on September 6. Whether the September 13 performance proceeds will depend on a potential municipal correction, possible judicial interim measures, or the internal consensus of the volunteer collective.

An eventual cancellation would break a continuity maintained since the festival’s revival in 1979 during the Spanish Transition. Historically, La Mojiganga suffered interruptions during the French invasion, 19th-century famine periods, and under the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and Franco due to its critical and transgressive nature.

Local socialist representatives have also criticized the scheduling overlap. Former mayor and socialist spokesperson Gemma Betorz noted that a similar scheduling conflict occurred the previous year and argued that the town council is failing in its duty to protect and promote a legally recognized cultural event. Attempts by media outlets to reach Mayor José Antonio Laguens for comment have been unsuccessful.