City Fences Plaza de España Fountain Amid Viral Carnival Incidents

The city has fenced off the empty lake in Plaza de España. This security measure, put in place today by the city council's Public Services department, will stay until next Sunday, when the street Carnival finishes, according to councilor Carlos Tarife. This action highlights growing worries about public safety in public places during big events, especially with viral trends on social media making things worse.

The decision comes after several incidents that have made the fountain a dangerous spot during the celebrations. Tarife explained that Carnival-goers were playing a dangerous game, sliding across the dry surface of the fountain, which became popular on social media. On top of this, tourists have fallen, particularly during the Coso parade last Tuesday, which has worried the city council.

At first, they considered closing only the area near the Port where the game was happening. However, after many incidents and people falling, they decided to fence off the entire perimeter. The fountain's dry surface becomes very slippery, leading to serious falls and injuries, some of which were filmed and shared widely on platforms like TikTok. With this action, the city council aims to prevent serious accidents in one of the capital's busiest places during the Carnival.