Spain's government spent €72,358 on an eclipse party with open bar and concert

On the night of the eclipse, the Yebes Observatory became a party for 300 guests. Four ministers were on the list, and indie band La Habitación Roja provided the soundtrack. The open bar ran on the public budget. The bill: €72,358.

The official event was contracted through the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology), which answers to the Ministry of Science. According to the information published, the programme of activities stretched over nine hours, with a "VIP zone", a communal meal, a cocktail-style dinner and, to round it off, a concert. Attendance was expected to reach 300 people.

The price of the sky

Put into context, the figures cause some discomfort. That amount would fund several research grants or a good batch of equipment for the observatory itself. The controversy over whether the spending was appropriate is compounded at a time when health and education funding is under scrutiny. Calls to make the guest list and the consumption records public have grown louder in public debate, with no answer given so far.

The science outreach excuse does not quite fit with a nine-hour antiestéticast antiestéticaturing an open bar and indie music. Science does not need a "VIP zone" to explain an eclipse. But the official narrative, judging by the facts, preferred the cocktail.

The eclipse that will return

The eclipse has come and gone, and so has the party. Other astronomical events will arrive, and the question of how public money is spent on official events will remain on the table. For now, the only figure that sticks in the mind is €72,358. Some calculate that this would cover the annual salary of a predoctoral researcher. But that is how history was written.