The Igualada City Council has presented the special security operation for Festa Major 2026, which includes an increase in police personnel, the use of drones, and a free night bus service during the weekend.
The Igualada City Council presented this Wednesday the special security and mobility device for Festa Major 2026, which will be held from August 21 to 23. The coordination between the Local Police and the Mossos d'Esquadra will be the basis of an operation aimed at ensuring the tranquility of residents and visitors during the busiest days.
The presentation was led by the Councillor for Governance, Carlota Carner, accompanied by the head of the Basic Police Area of the Mossos d'Esquadra in Anoia, Ramon Roig, and the deputy chief of the Igualada Local Police, Robert Martínez. Carner emphasized that Festa Major is one of the most important celebrations in the municipality and highlighted the need to provide rigorous preventive coverage throughout the week.
This year's operation is based on a significant increase in personnel and the continuous presence of patrols in areas with the highest concentration of people, such as Parc Central, Plaça de Pius XII, or Plaça de Cal Font. The intention of the council and the security forces is to maintain constant surveillance in all the party's venues.
During the busiest nights — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — the Special Circuit of Intense Police Control will be activated. This route, which has already proven effective in previous editions, will combine fixed points and roaming patrols during the hours of concert endings and peak movement of people. Specifically, between 4 and 6 in the morning on Friday, and between 5 and 7 in the morning on Saturday and Sunday.
As the main technological novelty of this edition, the operation will have the support of a drone unit that will intervene in various devices and in the most crowded events. This tool, which already yielded good results during the European Balloon Festival, will enhance prevention capacity, support the deployed personnel on the ground, and detect any incidents more quickly.
In parallel, the city will again have the Punts Liles device coordinated with the Local Police. This service will have fixed and roaming points in the main party areas to inform, raise awareness, prevent, and address possible macho attitudes or sexist behaviors during the celebrations.
In terms of mobility, the Mobility Department of the Igualada City Council will provide citizens with a free night bus service during the Festa Major weekend, specifically on the nights of Friday, August 21, Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23. This measure aims to facilitate the movement of residents from different neighborhoods to nighttime activities, improving both safety on the way home and accessibility for people with reduced mobility.
To conclude the presentation, the councillor thanked the work and involvement of the professionals from the Local Police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, and the other municipal services that work all year for coexistence and that during the Festa Major carry out an extraordinary deployment to look after the citizens.
The security operation is part of the Igualada City Council's commitment to providing a safe and responsible party. Residents and visitors will be able to consult the schedules and stops of the night bus through the council's official channels in the coming days.
