The Cabildo of Lanzarote held a working meeting yesterday afternoon with representatives of the various groups that bring the Carnival of Lanzarote and La Graciosa to life, in a meeting held in the assembly hall of the island institution and attended by several dozen people.
The meeting was presided over by the highest authority of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, accompanied by the insular counselor of Culture, Jesús Machín. Both conveyed a message of commitment to the murgas, batucadas, comparsas, float builders, drags, and fantasy designers of the various galas, confirming that for the current year, the important sponsorships devised by the Corporation in this term to strengthen and dignify Carnival will be maintained.
During the meeting, Betancort highlighted that “Carnival is one of the most deeply rooted cultural and social expressions of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and from the Cabildo we are clear that we must continue to firmly support the groups that make it possible because, furthermore, they generate economy and employment”. In this regard, he stressed the Institution's willingness to continue working hand in hand with the carnival groups, listening to their concerns and working in a coordinated manner.
For his part, the Minister of Culture, Jesús Machín, reported that the application period for aid is scheduled to open next week. This aid is channeled through the call for applications implemented by the Centers for Art, Culture, and Tourism of Lanzarote. He emphasized the importance of organizations annually justifying the subsidies received and strictly adhering to the established deadlines, a fundamental requirement for accessing future calls.The meeting was also attended by island councilors Aroa Revelo and Samuel Martín, as well as Arrecife City Council members Echedey Eugenio and Cathaysa Suárez, highlighting the close collaboration between the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Arrecife City Council in planning and implementing the infrastructure and resources necessary for the development of the capital's Carnival. Eugenio, head of the Festivals Department, thanked the Cabildo for its collaboration with municipalities in organizing these festivities and described the meeting as "productive".
The meeting allowed for an open exchange of opinions and proposals between the representatives of the carnival groups and the authorities present
An added cultural value
Betancort also referred to the socioeconomic significance of the Carnival celebrations in Lanzarote and Graciosa, "another tool for the promotion and projection of the destination's tourist image, also becoming a transversal cultural element and an economic driver," he said.
This renewed sponsorship of carnival groups responds to the commitment made to the groups by President Oswaldo Betancort, and the councilors of Tourism and Culture Centers, Ángel Vázquez and Jesús Machín, with the aim of being an economic pillar for building a festival that is part of Lanzarote's ethnographic heritage.
Specifically, this line of aid is aimed at murgas, batucadas, comparsas, and floats, as well as drag queens and fantasy designers for the children's, adult, and senior galas, under the same economic terms as those offered during the past fiscal year.Finally, councilor Ángel Vázquez recalled that this upcoming call is framed within the scope of the Corporate Social Responsibility of the Tourist Centers, an instrument launched in the 2024 fiscal year and which "allows for the support of projects of a cultural, social, sports, and educational nature that help build the island."