For the second year running, the San Sebastián Festival and the Gipuzkoa Territorial Transport Authority (ATTG) join forces to foster the use of public transport and sustainability on the dates of the enormous movie gathering in the capital of Gipuzkoa. A collaboration that strengthens the engagement shared by both bodies to reduce the Festival’s carbon footprint, also coinciding with Mobility Week.

The Festival launched its transition into a more sustainable event in 2020 and, after the first steps taken to foster reduction, recycling and reuse, at this 73rd edition it once again turns the spotlight on sustainable mobility, a factor representing almost 40% of the emissions generated by an event of these characteristics.

Stand at the Kursaal

The Gipuzkoa General Transport Authority will once again have a space in the Kursaal (multipurpose hall on the ground floor) where information can be obtained on the public transport system both in San Sebastián itself and throughout the territory, and where visitors can also acquire a Mugi pass and top it up.

The president of the ATTG, Azahara Domínguez, has explained that “with this customer service point, the aim is to inform all accredited guests at the Festival of the best way to move around San Sebastián and Gipuzkoa, enabling them to comfortably, sustainably and efficiently use the public transport network during the dates of the event”. In this respect, she recalled the “excellent” success of last year’s stand, when “more than 300 people visited the information point both to acquire the MUGI pass, and to inquire about public transport”.  

The service will be available from 19-23 September from 9:30-17:30 and on the 24^th and 25^th September from 9:30-13:30.

Escape Room in the Plaza Okendo

In addition, as a new feature this year, the public can participate in a themed escape room in the Plaza Okendo, where cinema and public transport will play the lead part. The activity will be open on afternoons from Monday to Friday and on both the morning and afternoon on weekends. The experience will be fun, entertaining and free in the endeavour to involve citizens in the values of sustainable mobility.

“We want to take a user-friendly and creative approach to conveying the message that public transport is the best way to enjoy San Sebastián and Gipuzkoa during the dates of the event and throughout the rest of the year”, added Domínguez.

As well as prizes such as double tickets for films at the Festival or Mugi pass top-ups, the escape room will offer more surprises, such as a raffle on social media for those wishing to participate, coming with a prize that won’t be revealed until the last minute.

Sustainable mobility, a joint engagement

Thanks to the ATTG-GGLA integrated pricing system, the public can travel with a single pass on all public transport throughout Gipuzkoa: the San Sebastián city buses (dBus) and all other urban bus services in the territory subscribed to the ATTG, the inter-urban services (Lurraldebus), the metro (Euskotren) and the suburban train network (Renfe). The pass offers free transfers, discounts and advantages making public transport more accessible, cheaper and more efficient. 

The Deputy for Mobility, Tourism and Planning, and President of the ATTG, Azahara Domínguez, stressed that “we share the Festival’s philosophy of reducing the carbon footprint that we generate in our everyday lives and believe that encouraging people to use public transport is an essential step towards achieving this”. That’s why we thank them for their involvement in this matter; we will continue to work together to make Gipuzkoa a territory that is not only more sustainable, but which also offers equal access, so that nobody needs to depend on private vehicles in order to go about their lives”, ended the president of the ATTG.