Manolo García
Manolo García is considered to be the father of Carnival in its modern incarnation in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
In 1976, a few months after Franco's death, Manolo García, originally from the La Isleta quarter, telephoned the province's Civil Governor and got permission for the Carnival celebrations to return to the city's streets after 40 years of prohibition.
He was born in 1934 in Pérez Muñoz Street. Having been a trader in shady deals, a neighbourhood leader, and presided over cultural and sporting associations, he decided to set what he himself termed the most difficult project of his life going.
The greatest publicist of the Carnival took any chance that offered itself to demand that the celebrations should reach out to everyone and he always tried to get absolutely everyone involved.
The Carnival organisation has been awarding the Manolo García Trophy since the 2010 Carnival.