Less than a month until the celebration of Carnival in the island's capital and little by little some details of one of the most popular festivals of the year are being revealed. Finally, there will be twelve murgas participating in the contest that will take place on February 9, 10, 11 and 13 and the performances will be held, as usual, at the Arrecife Trade Fair. The promises of the Councillor for Festivities of the Arrecife City Council to celebrate the Carnival in the Islas Canarias Park have fallen on deaf ears and less than a month before the celebration of the contest he announces that it will be held in the Arrecife Trade Fair.
On the morning of this Tuesday, the draw for the order of performance of the XXVII Arrecife Carnival Murga Contest was held in the Municipal Archive of Arrecife. A draw in which representatives of each of the murga groups were present and where the order of performance of the contest was announced, as well as the position in which the murgas will parade during the Carnival parade and the Burial of the Sardine.
Initially there were going to be thirteen murgas participating in the contest, a number that has been reduced to twelve groups. Las Tunantonas, a murga from the municipality of Tinajo that debuted in last year's Carnival, have decided not to participate, although they will be part of the Carnival Monday parade. Los Gorfines, Los Intoxicados and Las Atrevidas will also not perform in this year's contest, although their resignation was already known in advance.
The members of Ladys Golosina will open the XXVII Murga Contest on Monday, February 9. That same day Vacilonas, Tity Roys and Afilarmónica Los Tabletúos will also perform. The contest will continue on Tuesday, February 10 with the performance of Simplones, Desperdigaos, Rebuscadas and Ensalitrados. The third and final phase to be held on Wednesday, February 11 will feature the participation of Inadaptadas, Pijoletas, Intoxicadas and Desahuciados. The six murgas that obtain the highest score in this first phase will advance to the final on Friday, February 13.
The Trade Fair is once again the venue for the Carnival
Much had been said and promised in recent months about the location of the Arrecife Carnival contests and it was even assured that they would be held in the Islas Canarias Park. Finally, the murga contest, the election gala of the Queen of the Carnival and the Drag Gala, will be held in the Arrecife Trade Fair, as has been happening in recent years.
Víctor Sanginés, Councillor for Festivities of the Arrecife City Council, assured during the draw that the impossibility of celebrating the Carnival in the Islas Canarias Park is not "due to economic reasons, nor time, nor desire on the part of the Council". He explained that the biggest problem they have encountered has been the negative reports for the installation of stands in the Islas Canarias Park. Problems that they will try to solve for next year, promising the councillor that in 2016 the Carnival will return to the city center.
The representatives of the murgas have expressed their discomfort with the decision to celebrate the Arrecife Carnival in the Arrecife Trade Fair and, above all, have complained about the poor acoustics that exist in the place. Even some of the murgas stated that they will have to change part of the lyrics of their songs, which they have been rehearsing for months.
Rules regulated by decree
One of the novelties of the XXVII Arrecife Carnival Murga Contest is that the rules have been approved by decree, which will facilitate and speed up the collection of money that the murgas receive for participating in the different events organized by the Department of Festivities of the Arrecife City Council.
However, the murgas have also expressed their discomfort with these rules. They criticize that they did not know them until this Tuesday and that the suggestions made by the different murga groups have not been taken into account.
