Óscar Puente, the right’s whipping boy through his sharp remarks on social media, has been in the news this week, largely for questioning the King’s photo with Javier Negre. But he also took the opportunity on X to compare the Valladolid Festival’s 2026 poster with the 2022 poster, back when he was the city’s mayor.
The move backfired, because neither was the 2022 poster as good as claimed, nor is the 2026 poster as bad as he suggested. During his tenure the poster line-up included Amaia as well as Jason Derulo; Miguel Poveda alongside Marta Sánchez. There were interesting and varied names such as Don Patricio, Carlos Sadness, Ska-P… although some, like The Hives, are not entirely clear whether they were a virtue or a vice in 2022.
The 2026 lineup has something for everyone too, and perhaps the night that stands out as the most radical is the one headlined by Carlos Baute, who had previously referred to Delcy Rodríguez as “mona.” But there is also a night for Rusowsky and the outspoken Erik Urbano. Another for Judeline. Another for Leire Martínez and Ana Guerra. Another for Imelda May and Ronnie Wood. And another for Burning and Obús. Not too bad overall.
A user replied: “Minister, you’ve misfired here,” and journalist Juan Ceñal replied: “I don’t think the 2022 poster is clearly better than the 2026. This year’s is varied, young, and with broad female representation.”
Carolina Durante, who are also performing, specifically on Friday, September 11, took to X to respond to the minister, very succinctly: “You’re the one to talk.” They did not specify whether they were referring to his responsibilities in Transport, to the government’s handling of the Ceuta crisis, to his criticisms of the king, or to all of the above. In any case, it was a zinger that went viral, racking up more than 1 million views.
Responses ranged from those who treated the tweet as a joke, to those who merely compared Carlos Baute with The Hives, to those who accused Carolina Durante of having become “Cayetanos.” One user wrote: “This tweet from Óscar Puente is a mess, but your reply makes it clear you’ve got something against the minister beyond the musical world. Your mess as well.” Another asked: “Is it worth you becoming this week’s mascot for the drab far-right?” And there are also those who try to inject a little sanity, even on the platform formerly known as Twitter: “People who, because of this tweet, position ‘the Carolinos’ in one place or another. They’re simply responding to another unfortunate tweet (one more) from the minister.”
We remind you that this autumn/winter, Carolina Durante will be touring six arenas: on September 19 they will perform in Seville, on November 26 in Valencia, on November 28 in Barcelona, on December 12 in A Coruña, on December 26 in Bilbao, and on January 8 in Madrid. Tickets are on sale. Their third album, Elige tu propia aventura, remains in the Top 75 of Albums in Spain, 94 weeks after its release, certified with a platinum disc.
Estás tú para hablar https://t.co/Ed5e1VXM09
— CAROLINA DURANTE (@carolinadurante) August 19, 2026
