A little history
Latino rhythms, colourful parades, comparsas or murgas and a whole range of shows, every year the Santa Cruz carnival welcomes thousands of people at the beginning of February. And it has become an appointment not to be missed as it is considered by some to be the second carnival in the world, after the one in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together Venetian elegance and Brazilian fever and following only one guideline: having fun. Although it is almost certain that his arrival in the Canary Islands followed that of the first Europeans, it was not until the eighteenth century that his first literary references were made, when the diary of Lope Antonio de la Guerra y Peña, a Canarian writer, mentions the existence of a ball celebrated in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in which comparsas, groups of singers, musicians and dancers participating in a carnival were already performing. During the 20th century, it will continue, but taking the name of "Winter Festival" under the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and General Franco, in order to avoid any possible ban and before taking back its name of carnival, in 1976.
A constantly growing reputation
As its fame grew in the 1960s, the annual poster accompanying each edition was produced from 1962 onwards, with works by renowned designers such as Javier Mariscal and César Manrique, and was the subject of a competition open to all from 2009 onwards. The decade 1980 will also be favourable to it since it will be declared a festival of international tourist interest on January 18, 1980 and will be themed for the first time in 1987. A year that will also be marked by a Guinness Book record: 250,000 people attending the open-air concert given by the famous Cuban singer Celia Cruz. The year 2000 marks a new stage as Santa Cruz de Tenerife becomes the world capital of carnival and the seat of the XX Convention of the Federation of European Carnival Cities. Throughout its history, the main stages of the festivities (competitions or election of the Carnival Queen) have changed location, moving from the Guimera Theatre to the Plaza de Toros, then to the Plaza de España, the International Congress Centre and the esplanade of the César Manrique Maritime Park, and finally alternating according to the years and the needs of the scenography. Today, a few data give an account of its echo: every year, the tickets to the most emblematic shows like the adult murgas final or the gala punctuating the election of the queen are sold out less than an hour after they are put on sale and the retransmission of the election of the queen makes the beautiful days of the television channels. Building on this success, the Carnival aspires to become part of UNESCO's Intangible Heritage, making it the sixth carnival in the world to benefit from it and the first in Spain.
A different theme each year
Since 1987, a different theme has been chosen each year to serve as a colour and guideline for the carnival. With a wide range of selection options. Although the Roman theme was the first to be chosen, the Ionic-style columns deployed in the Plaza de España on this occasion were repainted and recycled the following year to evoke the selva, the virgin forest, in a somewhat random manner. However, there are a few recurring sources of inspiration, such as cinema, with westerns in 1992, Aladdin's A Thousand and One Nights in 1995, Broadway musicals in 2005 (Grease, Saturday Night Fever and West Side Story), horror cinema with the reference to Nosferatu in 2009, and the world of Bollywood in 2013. Retrieving the spirit of an era has also very often taken the form of a theme. Looking back at Prehistory, the Middle Ages, the Roaring Twenties, which saw the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge, but also the 1960s with its Flower Power and what was needed of hippies and protest songs against the Vietnam War, the 1980s embodied by the Game Boy and Freddie Mercury, may be a little surprising. Not forgetting to return to the future by dedicating the year 2001 to the Space Odyssey and installing a space shuttle in the Plaza de España. The evocation of geographical places (Mexico, China) or creative universes (magic, cartoons, graffiti) also served as a creative basis for the inventiveness of this carnival. However, certain themes have left a more indelible mark on the memories. Every carnival-goer remembers in particular the year 1989, when the Plaza de España was decorated with sphinxes and palaces to evoke the thousand-year-old Egypt and which in the minds of all remains one of the most beautiful carnival settings. Nor has anyone forgotten the year 1993, which evokes the circus, when a candidate for the title of Queen of the Carnival wore a 6-metre high by 6-metre wide costume entitled "Pachá entra en mi sueño", which not only left its mark on the collective memory, but also contributed to the international fame of the carnival, which was widely broadcast on television at that time. Although in terms of international media coverage, it is the year 2017 with its Caribbean theme that will have the greatest impact thanks to the re-enactment of a cruise ship journey, sailing to various destinations hosting other carnivals: Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, etc. In 2018, the carnival achieves a first by retaining three women as Mistresses of Ceremonies to liven up the "fantasy" theme, with witches, unicorns and dragons, to storm the social networks dedicated to the event. We can also salute the feat carried out in 2019 for the theme "deep sea" which saw the arrival in Tenerife of a 6-metre high bust of Poseidon, made by Valencian master falleros and transported by boat from Valencia to Santa Cruz.
Almost a year of preparation
Each year, the carnival festivities last one month, usually from January to February. Shortly before Christmas, the carnival poster is unveiled and a month before the election of the carnival queen, everything starts with the official presentation of the year's programme, Calle de Noria. Various events punctuate the pre-carnival: a choreographic festival, a costume competition, the presentation of candidates for the title of queen in the town hall's VIP lounge, the choice of carnival song or a competition of comparsas, adults or children. However, for the carnival groups, the preparation lasts almost a year during which its amateurs will rehearse and develop their comparsas, murgas (sung parodies of the power in place) and rondallas (musical group of string instruments), each with a specific character. Once launched, there is the official carnival, which brings together more than 100 groups of about 50 participants, in charge of the murgas, comparsas, rondallas and disguises, and the street festival, during which the inhabitants stage themselves. Before the street starts, the first highlight is the big gala for the election of the carnival queen, usually on the Wednesday of the first week of festivities. During this competition, candidates parade on a 1,200 square metre stage, dressed in grandiose and fanciful costumes that can weigh between 150 and 200 kg, and are decided by a jury of personalities, supplemented by SMS voting, for the past few years. Equipped with her sceptre, the winner will parade throughout the carnival and represent the Canary Islands in tourist ferias, a bit like a Miss France. Then on the Friday before Mardi Gras, it's the big day of the Cabalgata , a spectacular parade announcing the opening of the carnival, with as participants : the queen and her bridesmaids whose floats are accompanied by comparsas, private floats, but also tens of thousands of people and musical groups forming a multicoloured snake that will travel all over the city, most often starting from the Granja Park and ending up in the Plaza de Europa or behind the Cabildo de Tenerife, not far from the Plaza de España, to the rhythm of the batucadas and other Latin sounds. Once the night is well advanced, the end of this parade of about 4 hours marks the official start of the fiesta in the street, with its groups of carnivaleros pastiching political and social news via the murgas. Saturday will be entirely dedicated to dancing in the streets, which will also be filled with chiringuitos and floats. And if you're thinking of going there, the Calle Bethencourt Alonso, popularly known as Calle San José, is the high point of this fiesta, which also has three main stages, including the Plaza de España and the Plaza del Principe. Since 2008, Carnival Sunday involves families and Monday will be the high point of these three days, with DJ's on all the stages.
Great parades and burial of the sardine
Then comes Carnival Tuesday, which is the high point of the fiesta and sees the arrival of crowds of curious people who come to follow the Coso, the great parade, with floats, decorated cars and groups of carnival people who usually walk down Anaga Avenue. The next day, Ash Wednesday, the burial of the sardine is celebrated. She is carried on her carriage through the streets of Santa Cruz in mourning and is finally burned, accompanied by a procession of widows who mourn her. Her death marked the end of the spirit of the festival. An end that does not prevent the party from returning the following weekend, on the occasion of the Saturday and Sunday of the Piñata Chica. Shows, popular dances and parades follow one another again on Saturday, followed with such interest that this day has become as popular as the big carnival day, Monday, especially internationally. If you go there, you should know that from 12:00 to 16:00, music concerts are held simultaneously in the squares hosting the three main stages of the city: Weyler, Principe and Candelaria. Sunday will finally see car contests and concerts, but will be punctuated by a splendid fireworks display. The real end of the carnival... until next year
If you're not lucky enough to attend, you should know that it has had its own home, the Casa du Carnaval, since July 2017. Installed in a large modern space of more than 1,000 square meters, it houses a permanent exhibition with costumes from different years and some elements that give a glimpse of the atmosphere, such as the first poster from 1962. Every year, new elements are added to the exhibition.
