As millions celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve, over 2.4 million professionals in Spain ensure vital services during festive nights. Police, security guards and cleaners work tirelessly to maintain order and cleanliness amid the celebrations.
In Spain, Christmas brings joy for most, but for certain professionals, it means uninterrupted shifts. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), over 2.4 million workers operate on night schedules, covering essential roles like security, healthcare and cleaning.
Jacobo Cernuda, supervisor at Madrid's Intelligent Command Center for the National Police with 20 years of service, explains that New Year's Eve calls often involve fights, public order disturbances and thefts. "I've always had to work these dates, preventing me from being with my family in Oviedo," he says, though he highlights moments like eating the grapes in the patrol car. He warns of increased accidents due to alcohol and substances.
At the Civil Guard, Lieutenant Juan José Delgado heads the Operational Services Center, handling traffic and safety reports. "We're used to spending these dates away from family for public service," he notes, mentioning thefts by criminals disguised as Santa Claus. For Three Kings' night, he plans a remote-connected shift.
Companies like Prosegur keep about 5,000 of their 14,000 employees on duty during holidays, with voluntary rotations, according to general director José Gil Díaz. Security guard David Tejeda, with over 15 years of experience, has grown accustomed to eating grapes between alerts. At Mapfre, José Luis Osa stresses the need for emotional balance in these roles.
Neus Hierro, a pharmacist in Barcelona, works on January 1 prioritizing clients. In Bilbao, cleaner Txertu Barcala, with 30 years on the job, tackles tons of post-party waste but values the applause received. Director José Luis Azpiazu reports that 90% of waste is properly recycled.
In Getafe, after the Three Kings parade with 80,000 attendees and 3,000 kg of candies, cleaning teams manage the mess, encountering unusual anecdotes like people sleeping in containers. These invisible workers ensure cities wake up spotless.