Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium hit with noise fines over concerts and a football tournament

Madrid authorities have confirmed at least three noise-related sanctions tied to events at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in 2025, turning a long-running dispute over concerts at Atlético Madrid’s stadium into a concrete enforcement case.

The reported fines involve concerts by AC/DC and Imagine Dragons, along with a youth football tournament. According to the reporting, the sanctions add up to 81,480.80 euros.

The largest penalty, for 80,800.80 euros, was described as a very serious nighttime infringement after the stadium exceeded the permitted acoustic limit by more than 10 decibels. Two smaller fines, of 500 euros and 180 euros, were also reported.

What the sanctions cover

The confirmed penalties give the Metropolitano dispute a sharper legal edge. What had been a recurring complaint about noise from large events is now a documented set of sanctions tied to specific dates and activities at the venue.

The reporting places one fine on an Imagine Dragons concert on June 28, 2025, another on an AC/DC concert on July 16, 2025, and the third on a youth football tournament. The two concerts were among the stadium’s major summer events last year.

The biggest fine is also the most consequential for the venue’s operators, because it was reported as a serious nighttime breach rather than a routine violation. That will likely matter if authorities continue reviewing how the stadium handles sound limits during large non-sporting events.

Resident complaints and oversight

The Association Vecinal Las Musas-Las Rosas has complained to the environmental prosecutor over the noise issue, and the dispute has drawn in the Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo.

Gabilondo has suspended his intervention while waiting for the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office to decide how to proceed. That means the case remains active, but the next procedural move has not yet been set out publicly.

The neighborhood group says the stadium does not have a permanent license for non-sporting spectacles and instead requires extraordinary authorization for those events. That claim sits at the center of the wider argument over whether the venue is being used within the terms residents believe apply.

Residents near the stadium have also raised broader concerns about nighttime noise, traffic, parking and disruption around major events in San Blas-Canillejas, where the Metropolitano is located.

What it means for future concerts

The fines land while the stadium remains a major live-events venue, and while Atlético Madrid has already laid out mitigation steps for its 2026 concert season. Los40 reported in May that the club’s plan included acoustic barriers, sealed exterior openings, real-time sound monitoring and a city-controlled limiter.

That reporting also said concerts were expected to end before 23:00 and that the limiter levels set by the city were 95 dBA during the day and 85 dBA at night. Those measures suggest the club is trying to reduce friction with neighbors even as it continues to book large events.

The complaint trail has intensified again with the ten Bad Bunny concerts scheduled in 2026, according to the reporting. That makes the sanctions more than a retrospective enforcement story: they may also shape how authorities, residents and the stadium operator handle the next concert run.

For now, the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office still has to decide whether to advance the case. Any response from Atlético Madrid or city officials could also clarify whether the fines lead to tighter permit conditions, appeals or other restrictions on future concerts.