The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria’s only word to describe it will be Knockout. Though there are more words rather list of endless words to describe the Carnival it is beyond your imagination for the quotient of fun and excitement is high and blood pulsating. Just add on to the night clubs of Las Vegas, Ibiza and all the crowd and youngsters you shall get in the Carnival of Las Palmas. Every year, in months of February and March, the island goes carnival crazy. It is a three week Carnival and on Friday there is selection of Carnival Drag queen, and thereafter the after parties is the biggest night of the carnival. And next day is the Big Street Parade the Carnival’s grand Finale.
The Santa Catalina, Las Palmas park holds up the main events of the Carnival because it is large and open where there is pedestrianized area so it has become an ideal setting for the carnival and spacious enough to hold on the crowd. A huge stage is created on which the events take place. The Friday event and selection of Miss Carnival Queen are only the paid event, where you have to buy tickets. A black fence is surrounded the area, to guard it, but people in there festive spirit may take it down. As thousands of people gather to watch the events and among them some seven to eight thousand people get into see the event and the atmosphere is fantastic and fanatic. All are in party mood and rocking and grooving and singing. That’s the atmosphere even before the events starts; once the event begins the crowd gets crazy with the party spirit rising high. Crowd is dressed up in fancy dress in crazy and carnival costumes with furs, feathers, barely clad bikinis and rowdy crowd. Each year they have a different theme.
The Friday event has several carnival dancers and various acts. And then the most famous and highlighting event of the day is choosing of Miss Carnival Drag Queen. The show is hosted by some celebrity, and we have some fifteen finalists chosen already from previous rounds held earlier before the main event. On stage each one comes in some outrageous and raunchy outfits, which tend to have most parts that can be removed as the contestants strip a bit and let it remain a little bit! Costumes are of costly and sponsored, and its preparation takes year long. The performance these can do in 30 platform shoes is amazing. The platform shows ranges from some 10 to 30 inches yet they dance, jump and stomp for about three minutes on some thumping music making the spectator’s heart go beating faster. All of them are so excellent and charmant, they get the crowd go crazy and jittering. The crowds go ga- ga over cheering and themselves dancing and yelling in many cases. Its here you can get a chance to see a mermaid in stilts doing acrobatics and taking away the heart of millions.
Once the event is over crowd is still alive and kicking. The people move to different bars as enthusiastic party goers still dance on the live music being played in various surrounding bars. The trendiest club is ‘Mogambos’. It has dolls houses there on display – ‘S and M Barbie with Friends’ which is fantastic. Every club is filled up to its rafters. The party atmosphere after the drag show is called ‘Mogollan’ which means Loads. Carnival organizers create some open-air clubs where more music is played and these clubs are so filled up that revelers are outside it to enjoy and keep on the merriment on the street dancing their heart out. Open- air leads to people who are to enjoy the music outside also if it is filled to that brim. Having huge open – air stage, the Dj plays the Latin, techno, trance and rock the crowd with really good house and techno version of carnival music. Its pretty damn good music!
It is just not for younger crowd you can also find children and grandparents enjoying the music and dancing. As there is huge police protection, there is no sign of trouble and people were just having fun.
Even before your blood level is down from dancing and drinking, you will be the part of partying again, The ‘Gran Cabalgata’ or the big Parade begins from the old port in the north of city and ends with historic quarter in south. The carnival ends with the ceremonial Burial of the Sardine at sea. The Carnival is lead by new chosen carnival queen and famous Spanish celelbrities here and there on floats. The carnival has numerous floats with colorful exotic and outlandish decoration, blaring out music and as the sun sets the floats are spectacularly lit. Accompanying the floats are people all dancing, singing, beating drums and whistling the whistles. As the procession is passing it is packed with spectators and onlookers from the windows of their homes. The place is so festive that onlookers from home are also dressed in form of carnival wear. The procession lasts for seven hours and after that it is Mogollan time that is after parties and people dancing on streets all the night long.
More then half million people enjoy this carnival and get on the streets and even people from all over Atlantic region come to enjoy this fest. This is second largest carnival in world after The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro. By far largest Carnival in Europe. It is truly the most excellent and paramount Carnival of Europe and you need to be there guys and gals to have taste of fun of Carnival. With so amazing costumes, fantastic street parades, rocking street parties and superb music and dancing its hell of an event. Its complete knockout event to be.