San Antonio council has denied Amnesia and Privilege’s requests for an extension of hours for their opening parties, scheduled for May.
The reason given is that San Antonio Council is working to promote different sectors of nightlife as per the Strategic Plan 2016-2030, which highlights the need to diversify the profile of tourists visiting the municipality. Both establishments must close their doors at 6am on the days they celebrate their opening.
The coalition council also consider that the high accumulation of people on these occasions especially as residents are going about their daily tasks generate discomfort to the local population and can also cause situations of unnecessary risk.
The written decision denying the extension of hours also points out that given the pre-eminence of the nightlife sector, it is not considered adequate to provide differential and favorable treatment to public institutions, such as the extension of timetables above the regulated.
MANINSANAN COMMENT: Yet another example of petty mindedness from San Antonio’s 3-Party coalition council. The town only has a few world class venues and instead of embracing these events (that happen only twice a year) and allowing them to become festivals of celebration bringing thousands of extra people into the town they decide to go for restrictions citing public safety issues.
"MAN IN SAN AN" by Martin Makepeace 
Surely the council must understand that the culture, that is embedded within San An, is always going to be the main pull for tourists there? They want to come for the massive opening/closing parties. That part of their tourist profile is the one which makes a large percentage of the profit? It’s fair enough to want the comfort of residents to remain a focus but these events, like you say, happen merely twice a year. Keep the restrictions on the other nights. I understand that from years of working and living within resorts around Europe. Not nice seeing people slumped over benches on your way to work. Found this in personal experience. But I also understand that this is a one off and surely the financial gains from such huge opening events should be embraced and encouraged, if only for the opening/closing times of the event calendar. On the other hand will it necessarily be policed if they keep their doors open a tad longer? Are the fines more substantial than other years?
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