"The recovery of the Queen's Gala of the Arrecife Carnival has turned out to be a farce," says the PSOE of Arrecife. "Far from betting on local talent, Yonathan de León and Echedey Eugenio have preferred to outsource the event, awarding it to their trusted production company, which has bought the costumes in other islands, completely ignoring the work and professionalism of Lanzarote designers," they add from the socialist group.
In addition, they state that "the height of impudence is that the winning design of the Arrecife Gala is the same one that was crowned in the International Carnival of Maspalomas two years ago." “This contest has been little more than a wardrobe recycling operation,” denounces Alfredo Mendoza, spokesperson for the PSOE in the Arrecife City Council.
"A second-rate carnival"
"Indignation is growing among designers and citizens to see how the municipal government treats the Arrecife Carnival as a second-rate event," say the PSOE. Mendoza points out that "at no time did the City Council contact local creators so that they could participate in the gala. A contempt that is even more serious if one takes into account that the councilor himself, Echedey Eugenio, at the Carnival Conference of 2023, publicly promised to recover the Queen's Gala as a symbol of these festivities and to restore confidence in designers and sponsoring companies.”
“Why does Arrecife, the third capital of the Canary Islands, have to settle for a gala made with designs that have already been on other stages? Who really benefits from this management?” asks Mendoza.
The socialists point out that "instead of supporting island art and creativity, the government of Yonathan de León has turned the gala into a soulless spectacle, outsourcing it to a production company for 30,000 euros without even giving local talent the opportunity to participate."
“All it took was a change of color in the feathers and a couple of accessories on the dress,” adds Mendoza, underlining the lack of originality of a contest that should have served to promote the island's designers.
"Local designers: used and forgotten"
The PSOE criticizes that "beyond the contempt for the identity of the Arrecife Carnival, the City Council has used local designers as a mere showcase in the Carnival Conference of 2023, only to discard them later without consideration."
“The creative talent of Lanzarote is undeniable and deserved to be represented in its own festival, not to be relegated by political decisions that respond more to favoritism than to the pursuit of excellence,” insists Mendoza.
The socialist spokesperson states that "the Queen's Gala is one of the most important events of the Arrecife Carnival and should be a showcase for island art and creativity. However, this year it has become a disgrace for the city and a further example of the municipal government's contempt for local professionals."
Finally, they point out that "Carnival is identity, culture and pride. But in Arrecife, this year it has been a rip-off."
