The Arrecife Carnival 2024 kicked off this Thursday with the proclamation of Kike Pérez, who premiered the new fairgrounds of the capital of Lanzarote, bringing together almost 2,000 people, who did not want to miss the show.
The proclamation, which was a show in itself, turned out to be an invitation for citizens to enjoy the festivities, organized by the Arrecife City Council, presided over by Yonathan de León, through the Department of Festivities, directed by Echedey Eugenio, as the town crier himself has done throughout his life; declaring himself guilty of having formed and continuing to be part of the transgressive essence that characterizes them.
The Lanzarote comedian made a fun tour of his childhood, adolescence, youth and carnival maturity and justified each and every one of the crimes committed during his adventures.
“I plead guilty to loving the Arrecife Carnival, to having lived it intensely, to knowing it and longing for it since I can't come due to duties and schedules, to being a carnival-goer and an Arrecife native, enjoying and gorfin by birth, but also Intoxicated by father and Simplón by inertia, fortunate to live the batucadas from within, admire the shine of the drags and strongly wish that the Carnival of Queens will be filled again. I danced without knowing the steps of comparsas with the airs of the south and if I am guilty of anything it is that I am still excited by the sound of a buchero bucio, or the unexpected blow of a masked person covered”.
Throughout his speech, the town crier stressed that “being a carnival-goer is not a trivial issue, being a carnival-goer is not simply being someone who likes partying and excess, because carnival is more than a permitted binge drinking, being a carnival-goer is an attitude towards life and carnival is the moment where the Canarians represent it in all its splendor”.
That same message was the one that, jointly, the mayor Yonathan de León, and the Councilor for Festivities, Echedey Eugenio, conveyed, who thanked such a special town crier, and all the public attending, launching an invitation to experience the seventeen days of festivities, events and activities that Arrecife has ahead.
The first event of the capital's Carnival was presented by the journalist Techy Acosta and was preceded by a parade led by the Villa Pipol batucada.
Also, before the reading of the proclamation, the representatives of a total of 21 carnival groups appeared on stage, led by La Parranda Marinera Los Buches, and followed by the children's and adult murgas, the comparsas and the batucadas.
Los Intoxicados played a special role by giving Kike Pérez a gift for having belonged to the murga.
The final touch was the humorous show of the Arrecife comedian, who made the numerous authorities present and a totally dedicated public enjoy.
