From early afternoon, the festive atmosphere was felt in the streets of Arrecife, with thousands of people dressed in their best costumes, eager to enjoy one of the most anticipated events of the year.
Preparations for the parade began several hours earlier, with the organization of the comparsas, murgas, batucadas, parrandas and children's murgas, who had rehearsed tirelessly to offer an unforgettable show to the attendees. Also the floats, which had been designed and decorated with great detail, were ready to parade through the streets of the city.
Finally, at approximately 6:20 p.m., the show began with the Parranda Marinera de “Los Buches” dressed in their unmistakable attire with the wool cap, ribbons of different colors, sequined vest, openwork and embroidered pants, garters, stockings, leggings, white gloves, the peculiar water whistle and the metallic mask with which they cover their faces, leading the parade and distributing mouthfuls left and right as a celebration of the 60th anniversary of their foundation, which is why the Arrecife City Council has requested from the regional government the granting of the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands in recognition of their long career, thus distinguishing their extensive cultural and historical carnival heritage that they represent with their music, clothing and the figure of the buche.
After “Los Buches”, the extensive parade of the Carnival Coso continued with the arrival of those generically called carnival groups with the appearance of the murgas that, in recent weeks, with their funny and critical lyrics, elicited the greatest laughter of the carnival. Thus, “Revoltosas”, “Infiltradas”, “Vacilonas”, “Intoxicados”, “Faltonas”, “Inadaptadas, “Enraladas”, “Simplones”, “Titi-Roys” and “Desahuciados” paraded, interspersed with the comparsas “Sur Caliente”, “Timanfeiros”, “Guaracheros” and “Cumbacheros”, with their costumes full of glitter and color, who danced to the sound of the music, making the attendees immerse themselves in an atmosphere of party and joy.
Along with them, the batucadas “Villa Pipol”, “Woman Batuca”, “Princesa Attenya” and “Menuda Caña”, which provided a fast-paced rhythm to the parade, making the crowd move to the sound of their percussion bodies.
The segment of the Carnival groups would be closed by the famous “Diabletes” of Teguise with their traditional masks in the shape of a bull's head, with large horns and a long red tongue, and the characteristic clothing with black and red striped diamonds and the crossed straps from which hung their cowbells and a stick with the small sack.
But without a doubt, one of the most anticipated moments of the afternoon arrived with the appearance of the floats, which paraded majestically along the parade route, adorned with all kinds of decorations that were acclaimed by the public as they passed; each of them representing different themes, from fantasy to humor.
The first of them was the representative of the murga “Los Tabletuos” who paraded happily proudly displaying their third prize of “Interpretation, Lyrics and Music” recently obtained in the final of the Murga Contest.
After it, the four floats of the Arrecife City Council, which would be followed by fourteen others, including those of the Haría, Tinajo and Teguise city councils, which represented different fantasies, curiously, several of them related to the world of the circus, others with animated characters, with scenes of nature or even with historical figures such as the “Mystery of Tutankamon”, and others with a great sense of humor such as “Los vikingos arrimaos”, “Se nos va la pinza” or “Los Carceleros de Nicky Jam”.
But in addition to the floats, the children's murga groups also deserved a special mention, for their sympathy and their lyrics full of innocence and humor. The boys and girls of “Intoxicaditos”, “Noveleros” and “Chau-Chau”, dressed in their most fun costumes, delighted the public with their choreographies and songs, which elicited smiles and laughter alike.
The afternoon passed between music, dances and laughter, while the streets were filled with more and more people who did not want to miss a single detail of the show. Some had come from outside, to enjoy one of the most emblematic festivals in the Canary Islands, and others were residents of the city who were carried away by the festive atmosphere that flooded every corner.
Special mention should be made of the Arrecife Local Police, which deployed an extensive security device with which it managed to guarantee the smooth running of the event and avoid any type of incident, as well as Civil Protection, whose extraordinary work has allowed the parade route to run normally and fun was the common denominator.
Meanwhile, the carnival groups continued their journey, filling the streets with music and color. Each of them contributed their grain of sand to make this Arrecife Carnival Coso an unforgettable event.
As the end of the parade approached, the festive atmosphere became more intense. The carnival groups intensified their dances and songs, and the crowd surrendered to the party with contagious joy. Applause, cheers and chants followed one another without ceasing, while the floats were closing the parade through the streets of the city, carrying behind them a human tide of masquerades.
Finally, the parade came to an end at the fairgrounds with the crowd applauding excitedly, and the groups exhausted by the enormous effort of recent months, but happy after having offered an unforgettable show.
