Overview

• A massive blackout on April 28 left Spain, Portugal, southern France, and parts of Italy without power for eight hours, disrupting daily life and transport systems.
• Actor Viggo Mortensen was among thousands stranded at Barcelona’s Sants station as trains halted and traffic jams formed as people fled cities fearing further outages.
• The event has drawn comparisons to the 2022 Movistar Plus+ series 'Apagón,' which depicted a solar storm causing a prolonged collapse of electricity and societal order.
• Streaming platforms report a surge in viewership of blackout-themed content, with 'Apagón' and similar fiction resonating strongly with audiences post-crisis.
• The blackout has renewed calls for infrastructure resilience and transparent investigations into the cause, while sparking cultural discussions about society’s dependence on electricity.