As the co-founder and executive president of Starlite Music Group, Sandra García-Sanjuán is actively involved in everything related to the creative and innovative aspects of the company and its festivals, Starlite Occident Marbella and Starlite Occident Madrid.

“From seeing strategic partnerships, to everything related to brand building and what I call the magic — all the creative and artistic aspects,” she says. “I’m very involved in the lineup, the booking, all the content we incorporate, and the documentaries we create around Starlite.”

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These “boutique” festivals, as she calls them — featuring top international artists, high-end gastronomy and nightlife parties — aim to offer closer and more exclusive experiences for attendees. The flagship festival in Marbella has been held throughout the summer since 2012, with more than 60 days of concerts at the Nagüeles Quarry, an open-air amphitheater built especially for the event. The Madrid edition, focused on Christmas and New Year’s, just celebrated its third edition at IFEMA Madrid, where it ran from Dec. 12-23.

With its third edition, Starlite Madrid offered a dozen concerts and aftershows with DJs, attracting around 82,000 attendees in total, according to the company. The lineup not only included renowned local and international stars like Ricky Martin, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Melendi, India Martínez, Manuel Carrasco, Miguel Poveda, Emmanuel and Mijares, but also hosted the Billboard No. 1s España show.

The special marked the first edition of Billboard No. 1s held outside the United States, and the first one dedicated entirely to Latin music. Over a dozen artists participated in the collaborative event between Starlite and Billboard, including Pablo Alborán, Ana Mena, Rosana, Omar Montes, Yami Safdie and Chucho Valdés.

Named Billboard Español‘s Executive of the Month for December 2025, García-Sanjuán speaks about her tireless work in music, her company’s association with what she calls the “Bible of music” and her inspiring philanthropic work.

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How and when did this whole Starlite Marbella madness begin?

It was crazy, yes, because it started in 2012, which was a time of economic crisis in Spain. It arose, quite interestingly, from a philanthropic initiative. In 2010, Antonio Banderas and I started a charity gala in Marbella called the Starlite Gala, where we invited various celebrities and gave them an award and a tribute. I had my own company that specialized in booking artists for concerts and private events, and I was flying in artists from all over the world. And I started dedicating so much time to the gala, because, of course, organizing a gala is easy, but getting everything donated so that all the proceeds go to the foundations, that’s the hard part — it got to the point where it was so much work that I had my team working on the gala for six months without them being able to work on the business projects. And then we said, “Why don’t we make it easier? Let’s have a concert the day before and another the day after, and tell the artists to stay; they already have their band, they have everything.”

We also talked to the alcohol brands: “Hey, donate the alcohol for free for the charity gala, because I’ll buy it from you on the day of the concert, and we’ll sell the alcohol.” And we did the same with the stage company, and with the lighting company: “Hey, I’ll hire you for the stage and the lights, but you have to provide them for free for the day of the gala.” And look how it’s all turned out.

In the case of Starlite Madrid, was this third edition the biggest one yet?

It’s not the biggest one, because last year we ran it until the end of the year, and this year I preferred to focus on the pre-Christmas period. But I would say it’s the most successful, because it has truly become established. The first two years were about getting people to know about it, to recognize it, to understand what Starlite Madrid is and what it represents. Because, of course, in Marbella we were a novelty; there was nothing like it, and we quickly became a huge success many years ago. In Madrid, on the other hand, there’s so much going on, and the first two years were very difficult for us. And mind you, we started strong, because the first year we had Sting and Rod Stewart! But in the third year, we felt that it was full every day, that people already knew what it was all about, that they understood the experience, that the restaurants were packed, that people were making plans to attend. So, for me, this Starlite Madrid has been the ultimate triumph.

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We also have many corporate events that take place throughout the entire venue, or events within the event itself. We call it Inside Starlite, where companies host events for 200 or 300 people, and they have their dinners for 50, or a birthday party. Within the venue, they reserve and block off areas, and we organize everything for them. They have everything set up: the restaurant, the party, spaces with screens to hold their private event, and then they join the main concert. That was the goal, and it’s what makes us unique, because it’s winter here, and it’s possible. In Marbella, it’s summer, and it’s difficult for companies to get everyone to go there; it’s way harder to hold large corporate events.

This year, you also hosted the first Billboard No. 1s España. What was the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge was that we organized it in less than a month. We announced it in October with Leila in Miami, but then we announced the lineup in November. We did it in record time. It was like, “Okay, let’s do it.” I’m very much a “let’s do it on the fly” kind of person, because I think that’s how things have to be. We believed we had to take the plunge — a partnership with what, for us, is the Bible of music. I think it’s very exciting.

What was your greatest satisfaction this edition?

What I’m most proud of from this edition of Starlite Madrid is having achieved a historic concert: Billboard No. 1s, held for the first time in Spanish and, for the first time, outside the U.S. Starlite’s motivation was clear: to get Billboard to focus on Spanish artists and on Spain as the natural gateway for Spanish-language music to Europe and Latin America.

This evening also had a social purpose. Through the Starlite Foundation, together with the Lo Que De Verdad Importa Foundation, we honored the lives and legacies of 12 elderly individuals who dedicated their lives to music. Through the “Your Story Truly Matters” project, volunteers accompany them for a year to document their stories, their lessons learned, and their legacies in a book, giving back a voice, dignity, and recognition to those who made our industry great.

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Beyond this initiative, there was another important social moment during the festival.

One of the major achievements has been the staging, through the Starlite Foundation, of a very special concert that brought together more than 600 children from the Ubuntu Choir with a symphony orchestra. This project directly aligns with the Starlite Foundation’s vision, which champions culture as a driving force for social and educational impact, reinforcing its commitment to new generations, inclusion and learning, and highlighting music as a tool for human transformation.

The concert is the visible culmination of a profound educational process involving schools, teachers, families and music professionals, and solidifies Starlite’s position as a cultural institution with a long-term social mission.

It’s wonderful to see how you’ve continued to be involved in social causes through your work over the years. Why is this important to you?

I strongly believe in sustainable solidarity, in supporting agents of change who will continue the work, creating a ripple effect. Helping some, so that they, in turn, help others, and also developing projects that are sustainable and generate resources to ensure their longevity. I also believe it’s important to recognize influential figures who are role models in the world, acknowledging the social work they do, so that people can follow their example and be inspired to do the same. I want people to feel proud of helping and contributing, so that more and more people join in, and we become a growing community of people who help others and whose life purpose is to give back.

We need to understand that money is not an end in itself, but a means to achieve a purpose and reach our goals. For me, the ultimate goal and purpose of Starlite as a business project isn’t so much about what it can generate or the profits it can make, but rather the legacy I leave behind, the number of people I inspire, and the number of people we make happy. All the people you touch with that magic wand, who leave completely transformed, motivated, inspired and excited, ready to take on the world. After spending a day with us, they forget all their problems and gain a new perspective on life.