On Monday night in the suburb of Javalí Viejo, near Murcia, something happened that residents are unlikely to forget anytime soon. An ordinary evening unexpectedly turned into a true test of musical endurance: from 11 p.m. until nearly dawn, the same tune echoed from the schoolyard speakers—the well-known song “Happy Birthday.”
At first, people didn’t pay much attention to the strange musical accompaniment, deciding that someone was simply celebrating. However, as the clock passed midnight and the cheerful melody continued, the mood in many homes turned to frustration. Some tried to sleep, while others called friends to ask if they were hearing the same thing. But the music did not stop for a minute.
By three in the morning, many residents had lost their patience. Calls began to pour in to emergency services, with complaints about the inability to rest. It wasn’t until around 4:30 a.m. that firefighters arrived on the scene. They had to turn off the loudspeaker system to restore peace and quiet to the neighborhood. It turned out that the school’s automatic alarm system had malfunctioned, and got stuck on that very same melody.
After the incident, firefighters jokingly commented that they hadn’t meant to spoil anyone’s celebration, but that nighttime wasn’t the best time for concerts. In the end, Javalí Viejo residents received an unexpected nighttime “gift,” which will be talked about for some time on the local streets.
