Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
89. Tenerife Carnival, Tenerife
Tenerife's celebration of Carnival could easily be compared to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
There are two celebrations: the official (with about 100 groups of 50 costumed people each)
and the popular (where anybody who feels like it dresses in costume and has fun in the
streets). The official celebration has a different theme each year, and the costumes and per-
formances are related to it. Despite the fact that it is held in February, there's usually excel-
lent weather during the celebration, as is typical for the Canary Islands.
One of the highlights of the festival is the gala election of the Queen of Carnival. All the
candidates parade in their beautiful, shining costumes, which feature such complex and lux-
urious decorations that they can weigh hundreds of pounds. Later, the elected Queen will
ride through the streets on the main float of the carnival parade. The carnival has other im-
portant shows and events, such as the
murgas
, popular musical ensembles that perform satir-
ical numbers in front of massive audiences.
Image Credit: A contestant in the Carnival Queen competition. Image by
TDT.
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