Fecoll Uses Wristbands for 200K Lleida Visitors

La Federació de Colles de l’Aplec del Caragol de Lleida, known as Fecoll, is keeping a free wristband system for the 2026 festival as it prepares for about 200,000 visitors at the Camps Elisis fairgrounds from May 22 to 24. Organizers said the access controls are meant to manage capacity and security during the XLV edition of the Aplec del Caragol, one of Lleida’s signature food festivals. Ferran Perdrix, Fecoll’s president, said the event is also adding three public-facing spaces inside the grounds. The program presented on May 15 points to a larger push to bring non-members closer to the festival’s colles, or social groups. ### Why are wristbands back at this year’s Aplec? Fecoll said on May 16 that it would maintain control wristbands to “guarantee safety and control capacity” at the festival site in Lleida. The wristbands are free, according to the organizers’ presentation and local reporting on the event. Perdrix said the system would remain in place after access controls were introduced for night-time entry in the previous edition. (segre.com) The 2025 edition used wristbands during controlled entry periods overnight, with visitors without one able to obtain it at a security entrance on the Glorieta promenade inside Camps Elisis. La Vanguardia reported at the time that Fecoll had 120,000 wristbands and that security staff could identify and search entrants during those hours. Perdrix told the newspaper last year that “the night parties have changed a lot” and that members wanted more security for themselves and their children. (segre.com) ### How big is the 2026 festival expected to be? Ferran Perdrix said the 2026 edition “aspires to be a record Aplec,” with 124 colles, more than 16,850 registered participants and about 200,000 visitors. The event is scheduled for May 22, 23 and 24 at the Camps Elisis in Lleida, according to Fecoll’s official program. Local tourism listings and Spain’s national tourism site also describe the gathering as a three-day festival that draws more than 200,000 participants. (lavanguardia.com) The festival centers on snail dishes and group meals, but the official program also includes concerts, parades, cultural performances and public events during the week leading up to the main gathering. Fecoll’s program says the XXVIII Setmana Cultural runs from May 18 to 21, beginning with the official opening speech by University of Lleida rector M. Àngels Balsells Bailón at La Llotja de Lleida. (segre.com) ### What are the new spaces inside the venue? Segre reported on May 16 that Fecoll has created three new spaces inside the venue to encourage interaction between visitors and the colles. Perdrix said the goal was to make sure “everyone feels welcome, even if they are not a collista.” (aplec.org) The central area of the Aplec will be set up as Espai Lleida Turisme, with a large restaurant tent for 500 to 600 people and a terrace serving food from the Ponent area, Segre reported. The same report said Gust de Lleida, an initiative backed by the provincial council, will manage catering with local dishes. Fecoll’s official program lists restaurant options in Pavilion 4 and an outdoor plaza area, with set menus and tasting options during the festival. (segre.com) ### Who is involved in this year’s rollout? The May 15 presentation at Fecoll included Perdrix; Carme Mauri, the federation’s manager; Sandra Castro, vice president of the Diputació de Lleida; and Pilar Bosch, Lleida’s culture councillor, according to Segre. The same report said Mauri is in her first year in the role. (segre.com) Fecoll’s cultural week begins on May 18 and includes the Caragol Bover 2026 award for Jesús Bometón, the federation’s retired manager after 21 years in the post. The main festival opens on May 22 with the traditional Lo Caragolasso and the official inauguration at the Glorieta in Camps Elisis, according to the official program. (aplec.org) (segre.com)