Not long ago, the patron saint festivals of San Ginés in Arrecife were experienced with distance. Literally and emotionally. A fairground set apart, to which many went more out of inertia than feeling. Little participation in the main events, little citizen identification, and a generalized feeling that those festivals were not quite oursThat disconnection was not just a matter of location, but of model. The parties were scheduled, consumed, and shut down without leaving a trace, without the city feeling them as its own.Today, the reality is quite different. The festivities have returned to the center of Arrecife, to the heart of the city. The decision was made to integrate the celebration into daily life, bringing the attractions to the Ginory plot, reclaiming accessible and recognizable spaces. Music was prioritized, yes, but also something essential: returning to our traditions. The food stalls returned, that familiar atmosphere that turns a party into a meeting point and not an isolated event
That change in philosophy also extended to the neighborhoods. For years, one of the most frequent complaints was the lack of support for local neighborhood festivals, with limited budgets and little decision-making power. Today, that criticism is no longer valid. Neighborhood festivals have seen their budgets multiplied and, more importantly, real participation. It is the neighborhood associations that choose, propose, and take care of every last detail, with the support of the municipal department, which is decisively committed to these celebrations as the basis of Arrecife's festive identity.
Economic contributions were increased, and there was a fight, even at the island level, to dignify theater performances, something that did not happen before. The maintenance of sponsorship from the Tourist Centers was also defended, understanding that it is not a favor, but a direct investment in popular culture and identity.
For years, the Day of the Canary Islands in Arrecife was lived without much fanfare. An almost routine day, without soul, while other foreign celebrations gained prominence. It was not a festival that was deeply felt or recognized as one's own.
Since the arrival of Echedey Eugenio and his team, of which I am fortunate to be a part, that reality has changed evidently. The Day of the Canary Islands has become one of the biggest and most participatory festivals in the municipality. A day where music, gastronomy, traditions, and Canarian identity occupy the center of the city and collective sentiment. It is not just a celebration, it is a reclamation of who we are.
And what about Saint John? Another popular festival tied to our traditions and culture that had been forgottenAnd La Recova? Who hasn't been to La Recova? Who isn't enjoying it, the food from the stalls, the music? A space that was totally dead and wasted, now has life. We are building a city, reclaiming spaces for our neighbors. And I can say the same about the recently opened Plaza de Las Palmas. Or did you not go there during the Christmas holidays?
The Carnival deserves its own chapter. We were coming from a fairground that was misnamed a fairground, from a model where the participation of groups was more imposed than built. A radical change was bet on: the transfer of contests to Agramar, the recovery of queens, and the real involvement of murgas, comparsas, and groups from the beginning. The carnival assemblies stopped being a formality to become a space for joint construction, where every last detail, including the rules, is known and debated
And we arrive at the most uncomfortable, but also the most revealing moment. Because in politics and public management, not everything is written, nor are all decisions correct, nor do your decisions, like in life, please everyone. What makes the difference is how each situation is faced.
These days, it is fair to recognize Echedey Eugenio for not hesitating to face the situation, publicly apologize for being forced to return to the old fairgrounds to save the carnival, and sit down to work again, once more, hand in hand with the groups and the main players of the carnival. Not through imposition, but through dialogue.
Carnival is about murgas and comparsas; it's about queens, batucadas, float builders, designers, technicians, and people from the street; it's tradition, culture, and modernity hand in hand. We have managed to include historically forgotten groups, such as float builders; we have opted for a different parade, with risky decisions that have worked; and we have boosted, as never before, carnival in the street.
Because carnival doesn't just live on closed stages. It lives on the pulse of the city. And this year it will be demonstrated. Carnival will return to the center of Arrecife, its presence in the streets will be reinforced, and there will be a commitment to three stages that will allow for diversification, decentralization, and the return of protagonism to the people, as will be announced.
That's how unfair politics can be sometimes. An unforeseen event is enough to cast doubt on years of work, growth, and transformation. But the reflection must also be this clear: the model has worked. It has made the carnival, the patron saint festivals, and traditional festivals grow.
To those who believe that today is a step backward, I say it will only be to gain momentum. Because when Arrecife recognizes itself in its festivals, the city responds
And that should not be forgotten.
