The Poteño Carnival of Arrecife, commonly known as the Day Carnival, will finally be held on March 19, against what the Councilor for Commerce and Tourism, Armando Santana, had announced, who is responsible for organizing the Tapas Fair that marked that day.
The councilor had announced the cancellation of this event on January 25, stating that the safety distance between attendees could not be guaranteed. However, now the Councilor for Festivities, Encarna Paéz, has corrected him, announcing that the Day Carnival will be held, even without the Tapas Fair.
“The councilor doesn't do it because he doesn't feel like it, because at Christmas he held a fair where fleas and sweets were sold,” criticizes the CC councilor, thus questioning the decision of her government partner, who belongs to Nueva Canarias.
Regarding how that Poteño Carnival will be celebrated then, Encarna Páez affirms that there will also be no orchestra concerts, since they “exceed the number of components allowed” with the current regulations against Covid. However, she does hope to have the performance of other less numerous groups and DJs.
Regarding the location, she explains that it will take place in the usual settings of this festival, the Parque Islas Canarias and the El Almacén area, between 12:00 and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. In addition, she adds that the City Council is considering, if the health situation allows it, “expanding the Carnival points”, so that people are not “focused on just two places”.
Comparsas, batucadas and drag queens will also have their gala
In the absence of defining exactly what the scenario will be -in the midst of the controversy with the autocovid, which has led her to also confront the Cabildo and Health- Encarna Páez has told La Voz that there will be an exhibition of batucadas and another of comparsas, along with the gala of murgas that will replace the traditional contest.
“When I was a councilor from 2003 to 2007, both the comparsas and the batucadas had their night, and I continue to maintain them”, said Páez, who assures that the batucadas gala will feature four groups from Lanzarote.
The comparsas will also have their night at the Arrecife Carnival, with the celebration of a gala for them. The councilor affirms that “5 comparsas from the island” will perform, who will liven up this Carnival adapted to the pandemic with their dances.
The other event they will hold is the Drac Queen gala, although one of the artists that the City Council had hired for this event will not be able to perform due to a change of date of the Arrecife Carnival, which was delayed three weeks. However, Páez assures that they have found another artist to replace her.
“There are some things that have had to fall, because it was not known on which days they could be done, but otherwise we have all the events”, says the Councilor for Festivities, who, among other things, has renounced the celebration of the coso. Regarding where the galas will be held, this Monday she assured La Voz that it will be “yes or yes” in the Fairgrounds area, even if Health and the Cabildo maintain the autocovid in its current location.
