Spain’s teenagers to receive 400-euro culture pass to spend on concerts

8 October 2021, 12:17 | Updated: 8 October 2021, 13:35

Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced that in 2022, teenagers turning 18 will be given a €400 culture pass to spend on anything from books, concerts and cinema tickets.

In 2022, teenagers in Spain turning 18 will receive a culture pass worth €400 as part of a new €200 million nationwide scheme.

Approximately 500,000 teenagers are said to be eligible for next year’s pass which is being rolled out by Spain’s Culture and Sports Ministry.

Spain’s minister of culture, Miquel Iceta Llorens, explains: “It’s like an 18th birthday present, and I would love it if they spent it at the opera or a classical music concert.”

When announcing the scheme, Prime Minister Sánchez said the measure would improve young people’s access to culture, whilst also helping the Spanish culture industry, which has suffered financially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read more: Audience confidence rises by 50 percent after attending first post-lockdown concert

Both France and Italy have introduced similar schemes, but Spain’s is the first to be a reactionary introduction due to the pandemic.

Young people will be able to spend the pass on cultural activities, such as buying books, going to the cinema, or attending live concerts and opera.

Vice-President Yolanda Díaz tweeted that “supporting the arts and the future of young people was an essential condition of the budget, which should serve as an impetus for culture”.

The money will be divided into cultural sections, so that the total pass amount is spent on multiple cultural activities, instead of all being put into one. These sections are yet to be announced.

The announcement of the culture pass comes days after an announcement of a government-run housing scheme which will give 18 to 35-year-old mid-income earners a monthly €250 discount off their rent.