Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Santa Cruz Carnaval 2006 Events
This is, by no means, a complete list of all Carnaval events, but those which, I believe, to be of most interest to an English speaking visitor and generally casual onlooker. Labels: Carnaval
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
21:30 - Gala for the Selection of the Carnaval Queen 2006
This colorful event, to be held tonight in the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife will be televised internationally. It is probably best seen on TV too, to see close ups of the costumes. This gala is really the last in a long line of selection processes that have already taken place to choose the best dance troops and musical groups, etc. These also set the order they should participate in the forthcoming parades.
Friday, February 24, 2006
20:00 - The "Announcing" Parade of Carnaval
Now that all the participants and winners have been chosen, this parade announces the start of Carnival celebrations proper. There is a firework display at the end of the parade.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
16:00 - "Coso" Apoteosis del Carnaval
This is THE main parade of Carnaval along the Avenida de Anaga and Avenida Marítima alongside the seafront and port in Santa Cruz. Fireworks again follow, scheduled for 21:00. This parade will also be televised internationally, details here.
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
21:00 - Burial of the Sardine
How does one explain this? It is a sacrilegious, surreal and sarcastic parade where you are likely to find men and women dressed up as Catholic clergy and men dressed up in drag as "wailing widows". Just in case you think that you've run into a cross-dressers' convention or a Gay Pride march, it is not. They all follow the funeral procession of the poor unfortunate effigy of a huge sardine, which symbolizes the "death" or end of Carnaval (well, sort of) and start of Lent.
There is a good description, in which you will discover the secret of Carnaval and, particularly the Burial of the Sardine in this article in the Guardian, Carnaval Queen.
Saturday, March 4, 2006
18:00 - Coso Infantil
This is a separate main parade for all the junior Carnaval participants, the Kid's Parade, in which the place of honour will be held by the Reina Infantil (Junior Queen). Click here for photos of this year's winner and her court. Though perhaps a little more pedestrian than the grown-up parades, which you may prefer also, I think this is one of the best days.
Sunday, March 5, 2006
10:00 - XXXVI Concourse of Classic Cars
Or, "Old Crocks Day", as I like to colloquially name it, which is particularly apt this year as it falls on my birthday. :) Look for the old crocks, the vehicular ones, not myself, in the Plaza de la Iglesia (Church Square) and Calle La Noria. After assembling, they will make a very noisy circuit of the city streets.
There is also a Gran Fin de Fiesta del Carnaval 2006 party at 17:00 and, of course, a farewell firework display, which is slated to begin at 22:00. If the Burial of the Sardine didn't really mark the end of Carnaval, does this? Well, to repeat myself yet again, only sort of! All it really means is the end, for this year, of the Carnaval celebrations in Santa Cruz. It all just moves along to Puerto de La Cruz, Los Cristianos and just about every other town on the island for at least another couple of weeks.
And, since there is always next year's Carnaval to plan, dances and songs to rehearse, costumes to have 1000's of sequins and feathers sewn on ... I really doubt that Carnaval ever ends.
More information:
Times, of course, in the Canary Islands, are always very approximate, however, with the advent of televising most of the main events, they are getting more precise.
A full list of events (in Spanish) can be found at the Official Carnaval site. There are other small parades and, of course, dances in the streets most nights starting at 23:00 on Friday - now that the judge decided they could go ahead.
There is also the nightly fun fair and have a heart for the snack food stall holders that you will find, mostly around the central Plaza de España. They will have paid up to tens of thousands of Euros in the auction to secure the prime locations and the pleasure of overcharging you! But, it is a party, after all. :)
How to get there on the bus.
Can't make it this year?
If you are planning ahead to come to Santa Cruz Carnaval in a future year, you can always count on the "Coso", main parade, being on the Shrove Tuesday. Once you have the calendar for the year in question, this should be easy to find or work out.
It is also a fair bet to assume that the announcing parade will be held on the previous Friday night and the Gala for the selection of the Queen, on the Wednesday, two days prior to that. The the Kid's Parade, likewise has always been on the following Saturday and the Old Crocks on the Sunday.
The one to watch is the Burial of the Sardine, which has been known to be moved and held on the following Friday instead.
Tags: Tenerife, Canarias, Carnival, Carnaval
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2 Comments:
Pamela wrote (on
February 23, 2006)
No, I don't, didn't know. The only nights I have, in the past, stayed on for the street party has been after some other event like the main parade or the Burial of the Sardine.
However, I can see the logic in that and imagine it might be the case. Somehow, I doubt you'd find any night exactly lacking in party spirit, mind you!
Apparently the biggest party night is the 27th (because the next day is a hol)... do you know?
Must buy a new whistle.