Like so many other events in 2020, the San Sebastian Festival will be unable to run in the same conditions as in previous years. The Covid-19 pandemic obliges the Festival to adapt, with the focus on two priority objectives: in the first place, to create a safe environment and, in the second, to offer as pleasant a cinematic experience as possible. Among the main measures taken by the Festival, in coordination with the Basque Government Department of Health, is the online purchase of numbered tickets.
To prevent sources of infection and improve traceability, the advance purchase of tickets will only be available online, through the Festival ticketing website sansebastianfestival.janto.es and Kutxabank. The Zinemaldi Plaza ticket desks have been cancelled. From the 18th, tickets can be purchased from the cinema ticket offices, where payment with a credit card is recommended.
The Festival has decided to stagger ticket sales. Tickets will go on sale, as usual, on the Sunday before the Festival: September 13 (at 9:00). However, only tickets for the first three days of the Festival (Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20) will be available for purchase. Tickets for Monday 21, Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 (and the remaining tickets for the previous days) will go on sale on the 14th. Finally, tickets for Thursday 24, Friday 25 and Saturday 26 (and the remaining tickets for the previous days) will go on sale on the 15th. From the 16th onwards, tickets will still be available for purchase for all showings, indistinctly. Each spectator can purchase a maximum of two tickets per showing, with a total limit of 20 tickets for each purchase.
For tickets purchased in advance, the only applicable discounts are those corresponding to the Kutxabank Gazte card. Discounts will be applied at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre and Principal Theatre ticket offices to Donostia Kultura users. Finally, every day the Festival will offer tickets with a 25% discount to those subscribing to the mailing list that will be enabled soon, where they will be updated daily on availability. Given that advance purchases are only available online this year and in view of the fact that this is a very difficult time for many people, the Festival has decided to assume part of the commission charged for ticket purchases, meaning that it will stand at 0.40 euros instead of the usual 0.75.
The Festival reminds you that it is mandatory to wear a mask at all times. When a screening runs for more than four hours (as in the case of the series Patria, We Are Who We Are and Andisturbios) spectators must wear an approved professional mask (KN95 or FFP2) in keeping with the stipulations indicated for special situations in the order issued by the Department of Health.
Other measures taken by the Festival: