The opposition in the city council is attacking the "widespread New Year's Eve" plan conceived for Cagliari by Massimo Zedda's council, including New Year's Eve, which will close out 2026 and welcome 2027.
"Cagliari, unfortunately, confirms its status as the capital of 'I would like to but I can't,' or rather, of 'I could but I don't want to.' While the city is being emptied of vision, we are witnessing yet another disaster announced for the New Year's holidays," the accusation comes from the center-right councilors of the Culture Commission, Ferdinando Secchi, Pierluigi Mannino, Roberta Sulis, and Marcello Corrias.
"The council's triumphalistic declarations about the so-called 'widespread New Year's Eve' are just smoke and mirrors masking a bitter reality," Secchi begins. "Cagliari is preparing to endure its third consecutive second-rate New Year's Eve. The grave truth is that our municipality squandered the opportunity to host this major regional event, which was promptly cashed in on by Alghero. The reason? The alleged 'excessive workload' of our managers. An administration that forgoes the most important showcase of the year because its offices 'can't handle it' publicly certifies its total management paralysis. Instead of attracting thousands of people to our city, this mediocre program will cause Cagliari residents to flee to other destinations."
Pierluigi Mannino, vice president of the commission, echoes this sentiment, pointing to a lack of courage and tourist appeal: "It's the same old story. While other cities—from Olbia to Alghero, from Palermo to Rimini—have been announcing their New Year's Eve celebrations for months, featuring big-name names used to sell the city abroad and fill airline hotels in December, we, in mid-September, are still stuck with a generic expression of interest in the usual sprawling celebration. €578,000 has been allocated for the same old scenario: a huge stage in Largo Carlo Felice, '70s, '80s, and '90s covers at the Bastione, a DJ set, and a generic 'artist of national importance.' There's absolutely nothing that will get anyone booking a flight or that will get people talking about Cagliari outside of Cagliari. but those who fly low, in the end, only run the risk of crashing into anonymity."
