Spanish locals complain sacred site is 'transforming into a theme park' as noisy young pilgrims chant, dance and dip naked in historic fountains

READ MORE: The European holiday hotspots where tourists outnumber locals – some by more than 100 to 1See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 05:49 EDT, 26 August 2026 | Updated: 06:10 EDT, 26 August 2026 The Camino de Santiago is a historic Christian pilgrimage made up of a network of different routes across Europe.Pilgrims have embarked along the walk for centuries, with many finishing up in the cathedral city of Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.But residents are now finding that so-called pilgrims are no longer treating the path as a spiritual undertaking, and a difficult sacrifice to complete.Instead, a group of young Spanish pilgrims have been seen dancing and chanting loudly as they completed the final section of the trek.A viral video clip posted online shows them cheering: 'make a wish, arrive in Santiago with plenty of shaking', The Times reports. And it isn't the only time well-meaning but noisy pilgrims have caused chaos in the area. Rowdy pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain have led to locals feeling increasingly frustrated (stock)Locals have complained the sacred space is 'being transformed into a theme park' by rowdy visitors. Iván, who lives nearby, said: 'People arrive singing, shouting, with trombones, tambourines, guitars. What they are allowed to do here wouldn’t be tolerated in any other city.'Roberto Almuiña, president of the neighbourhood association, added: 'There are people who don't know how to behave.'Other reports include pilgrims drinking, taking a dip in the fountain naked and having picnics.However, the city relies on tourism to make up a substantial amount of its economy and last year 242,179 completed the Camino Francés route. This marked a six per cent increase in pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago overall when compared to 2024 statistics.Between May and October seems to be the most popular time to complete the walk, with 79 per cent of pilgrims opting for those months, according to Caminoways.com. Santiago de Compostela is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and boasts a mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings. Residents have complained that the sacred site is 'being transformed into a theme park' The local tourism board has a 'code of good practices' in place for visitors to follow when exploring the area.It mentions 'acoustic quality' and states, 'Celebrate your arrival respectfully, not making too much noise. Store your walking stick to prevent noise pollution and damage to the pavement.''The cityscape surrounding you is of exceptional value: it is not a picnic area or a campsite. Discover Santiago as a gastronomy capital in our magnificent restaurants,' another rule reads.Earlier this year, a British pilgrim died after he fell into a river on the famed pilgrimage route.The 64-year-old was believed to have lost his balance after trying to cross an improvised bridge made out of tree trunks near to a hotel.His body was discovered in May in the Robo River in Puente la Reina, a town and municipality between Pamplona and Estella on the Way of St James pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.