Cuarentena Fest raised only modest donations but helped showcase indie artists in Spain and Latin America. As Spain entered a coronavirus lockdown in mid-March, members of Spain’s music industry attempted something new: a festival livestreamed from artists’ homes on social media platforms.
The idea for the event, called Cuarentena Fest (Quarantine Fest), was to raise money and spotlight artists who had major plans that were interrupted by COVID-19, including scheduled gigs at Coachella, or who were dropping an album and would struggle financially post-pandemic after losing sources of revenue.
Within weeks of the first edition in Spain, Cuarentena Fest shifted its focus to Latin America, where several countries were entering lockdown.