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Tenerife Carnival 2008

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Traditionally carnival was the day of finishing up meat (carne va or meat goes) before the period of lent so families would have a big feast and often neighbours would be invited and as usual in Tenerife it didn’t take much to turn this into a general get together and fiesta with everyone taking to the streets to celebrate.
       The upper classes seeing all this revelry would have liked to join in, but class distinction would not allow it, until a few (no doubt younger) enthusiastic revellers hit upon the idea of going out into the streets to join in the merriment wearing masks to disguise their identity. As with all the various groups and entertainers in carnival they have their own group name, these particular incognitos are known as Mascarillas. They are accompanied by Murgas, satirical street bands, Comparsas, dance groups and Rondallas, groups of singers. These are not just groups of people getting together for a good time but dedicated club members, often with several generations involved, who work on costume making, fund raising and practicing routines all through the year.
        For an island that until very recently was very puritanical some of the costumes are little more than bikinis with feathered head dresses or see through tops with a couple of strategically placed stars. Nobody seems to mind or place any shame on young girls (or not so young in some cases) parading the streets for hours with little on and that which is covered getting well shaken in bountiful harmony.
        The choosing of the carnival queen is an all night, eagerly awaited, televised spectacle; the dresses for this are sponsored by various larger local companies with the costs running into many thousands of Euros. These dresses are used once only and the successful ones are often housed in especially built display rooms at or near to the receptions or showrooms of the sponsoring companies. Recently the organising committee has had to limit the overall size of the creations (dresses) many of which have wheels built in to assist the queen’s movement, yes honestly, take a good look at the photos and compare the height of the girls with the height and width of the dresses.
        As if a carnival queen wasn’t enough there are also competitions for the queen of seniors and a children’s queen. In some of the towns of Tenerife as well as other islands there is also a ‘drag queen of carnaval’ this hasn’t arrived in Santa Cruz yet but with the recent governmental proposals for legalised same sex marriages, who knows.
        Apart from the singing, dancing, parading and joking by organised groups there are also live bands and dancing in the open air for everyone most nights from around 2300 until daylight. There are official stalls all around the streets selling drinks and ‘tapas’ to the thirsty, hungry revellers, these stalls and their positions are bid for by tender each year and sell for amazing amounts of money to help offset the huge costs of carnival. All manner of other events are grouped under the banner of carnaval from football to clay pigeon shooting to vintage car rallies, there is literally something for everyone.
Carnival in Tenerife         Tenerife carnival is finished with the burial of the sardine; a huge papier-mache sardine is paraded through the city followed by hundreds of weeping ‘widows’ this gives the Tenerife male population one last chance to dress as widowed ladies, all in black, the only thing is that their idea of ‘widows weeds’ is mini dress and fishnet tights! Woe betide any good looking young tourist innocently watching proceedings, he’s likely to be showered with kisses from the widows. The sardine is then burnt accompanied by the inevitable massive firework display.
        It is said in Tenerife that nothing happens for two weeks before carnival because everyone is busy getting ready, then of course nothing can happen during carnival because companies only work a couple of hours a day so there is no time and after carnival nothing happens because everyone is recovering from carnival. Then Puerto de la Cruz starts it’s carnival, followed by Los Cristianos!

Enjoy Tenerife carnaval, it’s the third largest in the world.



Santa Cruz 2008

Carnival 2008 – Magical Theme

The Tenerife Carnival 2008, which runs from 30th January to 10th March, or as the Spanish call it Tenerife Carnaval, has a “Magical” theme this year. A list of the principle carnival activities can be seen below:

Wednesday 30th January 2008

9.30pm – The Tenerife Carnival Queen 2008 will be elected at the Grand Gala in the Parque Marítimo César Manrique Car Park

Friday 1st February

8pm –  The First Parade Announcing Carnival 2008 will start from Avenida de Bélgica and continue on to Plaza de la República Dominicana, Avenida de la Asunción, Ramón y Cajal, Galcerán, Plaza Weyler, Méndez Núñez, Pilar, Villalba Hervás, La Marina and ending at Avenida de Anaga. At the end of the parade there will be a large firework display.

8pm – Winners for the best decorated floats and cars will be chosen.

From 11pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe with performances from various bands

Saturday 2nd February

5.30pm – Shows can be seen on the various stages at Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena, Parque Bulevar and Plaza del Príncipe

8pm – Murgas (comedy musical groups) performances will take place in the following places: Calle Castillo junction with Calle Robayna, Calle Castillo (Cortefiel), Calle Castillo (BBVA bank opposite El Globo), Stairs of the Church of San Francisco, Plaza of the Church at the entrance of the Main Parish Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Stairs of CajaCanarias (main building) and the corner of Calle General Gutiérrez and Calle Imeldo Serís

8pm – Comparsas (Dancing/Singing) Contest: Rhythm and Harmony. All the Comparsas groups will be participating in a competition on the Avenida de Anaga

From 11pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe and Plaza de Europa with performances from various bands

Sunday 3rd February

11am – The Aphilharmonic Ni fú – Ni fa will perform at the Plaza del Príncipe

12 noon – The Lyrical Music Group Los Fregolinos will perform at the Plaza del Príncipe

5.30pm – Shows can be seen on the various stages at Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena, Parque Bulevar and Plaza del Príncipe

8pm – Murgas (comedy musical groups) performances will take place in the following places: Calle Castillo junction with Calle Robayna, Calle Castillo (Cortefiel), Calle Castillo (BBVA bank opposite El Globo), Stairs of the Church of San Francisco, Plaza of the Church at the entrance of the Main Parish Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Stairs of CajaCanarias (main building) and the corner of Calle General Gutiérrez and Calle Imeldo Serís

8pm – A Mini Parade will make it’s way through the streets, starting from Plaza de Weyler and passing Calle Castillo, San Francisco, Villalba Hervás, La Marina and ending at the Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena

From 11pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe and Plaza de Europa with performances from various bands

Monday 4th February

5.30pm – Shows can be seen on the various stages at Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena, Parque Bulevar and Plaza del Príncipe

8pm - Murgas (comedy musical groups) performances will take place in the following places: Calle Castillo junction with Calle Robayna, Calle Castillo (Cortefiel), Calle Castillo (BBVA bank opposite El Globo), Stairs of the Church of San Francisco, Plaza of the Church at the entrance of the Main Parish Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Stairs of CajaCanarias (main building) and the corner of Calle General Gutiérrez and Calle Imeldo Serís

8pm – A Mini Parade will make it’s way through the streets, starting from Plaza de Weyler and passing Calle Castillo, San Francisco, Villalba Hervás, La Marina and ending at the Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena

From 11pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe with performances from various bands

Tuesday 5th February

11am – The Aphilharmonic Ni fú – Ni fa will perform at the Plaza del Príncipe

12 noon - The Lyrical Music Association Los Fregolinos will perform at the Plaza del Príncipe

4pm – The Final “Coso Apoteosis” Parade will take place along the Avenida de Anaga and Avenida Marítima

From 8pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe with performances from various bands

At 9pm there will be a large Firework Display

Wednesday 6th February

9pm – The Burial of the Sardine parade will start from the Plaza de la Paz, Méndez Núñez, Pilar, Villalba Hervás, La Marina and finish at the Plaza de Europa

From 11pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe with performances from various bands

Thursday 7th February

8.30pm – The Festival of the Lyrical Association La Zarzuela del Círculo de Amistad XII de Enero will be celebrated in Guimerá Theatre

Friday 8th February

From 11pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe with performances from various bands

Saturday 9th February

5.30pm - Shows can be seen on the various stages at Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena, Parque Bulevar and Plaza del Príncipe

6pm – A Children’s Parade will make it’s way via Avenida de Anaga and Avenida Marítima, ending by the Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena

8pm - Murgas (comedy musical groups) performances will take place in the following places: Calle Castillo junction with Calle Robayna, Calle Castillo (Cortefiel), Calle Castillo (BBVA bank opposite El Globo), Stairs of the Church of San Francisco, Plaza of the Church at the entrance of the Main Parish Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Stairs of CajaCanarias (main building) and the corner of Calle General Gutiérrez and Calle Imeldo Serís

8pm – A Mini Parade will make it’s way from Plaza de Weyler via the streets of Calle Castillo, San Francisco, Villalba Hervás, La Marina and ending at the Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena

9pm – The Rondallas (Musical Groups) Festival will take place in Guimerá Theatre

From 11pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe and Plaza de Europa with performances from various bands

Sunday 10th February

10am – XXXVII Grand Contest of Classic/Vintage/Veteran Cars in the City

At the Church Plaza – Calle La Noria

From 12 noon onwards the route will pass the following streets: Calle Antonio Domínguez Alfonso, Charco de la Casona, Bravo Murillo, San Sebastián, Puente Serrador, Valentín Sanz, Ángel Guimerá, Plaza de Weyler, Méndez Núñez, Pilar, Plaza del Príncipe, Villalba Hervás, La Marina, Avenida de Anaga, Rambla del General Franco to the Hotel Mencey.

11am - The Aphilharmonic Ni fú – Ni fa will perform at the Plaza del Príncipe

At 12.30 pm a Festival of the Lyrical Association La Zarzuela del Círculo de Amistad XII de Enero will be held at Plaza del Príncipe

5pm The Gran Finale of the Carnival 2008 fiesta will be celebrated at the Círculo de Amistad XII de Enero

5.30pm - Shows can be seen on the various stages at Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena, Parque Bulevar and Plaza del Príncipe

8pm - Murgas (comedy musical groups) performances will take place in the following places: Calle Castillo junction with Calle Robayna, Calle Castillo (Cortefiel), Calle Castillo (BBVA bank opposite El Globo), Stairs of the Church of San Francisco, Plaza of the Church at the entrance of the Main Parish Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Stairs of CajaCanarias (main building) and the corner of Calle General Gutiérrez and Calle Imeldo Serís

From 10pm there will be dancing in the Plaza del Príncipe with performances from various bands

12 midnight – The Firework Gran Finale will take place on the Avenida de Anaga

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Photos courtesy of Horizon Property Group

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