The 2019 festivities, themed around A Night in Rio, in tribute to the Rio de Janeiro carnival celebrations, as a symbol of openness, freedom and integration. And, like every previous year, the schedule planned by the organisers offers a great range of things to do for younger carnival-goers. On the one hand, there are acts which are specifically designed for children. And on the other, there are different events suitable for people of all ages, which can be experienced in the city as a family. This is another characteristic feature of this Carnival which is unique, contemporary and belongs to a city which is not only transformed by Carnival but also transforms itself for Carnival. In this case, from 15 February until 10 March 2019.
The first weekend with children at centre stage
On the first day, when the opening proclamation takes place in Plaza de Santa Ana, right in the historic centre, families can get an advance taste of the festivities with a musical parade proclaiming the start of Carnival, as it passes through the city’s oldest streets. This is only an appetiser for everything that will take place later around the Parque Santa Catalina, where each year a stage is built (designed according to the allegory that the citizens choose each year as the theme for the Carnival): this is where all the great spectacles of the festivities take place.
The first, Saturday 16 February, with the junior comparsas – stage shows – contest (7 pm), where visitors can see for themselves how the Carnival’s youngest talents experience the festivities. On the following day, from 11 am onwards, Santa Catalina brings together a multitude of junior groups as they celebrate their own fancy dress festival. Their families cheer them on from the audience… as do a good crowd of tourists who pass by the stage on their visits to the city: guests at its hotels and apartments, day-trippers from the south of the island… or people on the cruises that have put in at the nearby Santa Catalina Dock, and who are becoming regulars at these events in the park.
Daytime and Pet Carnival
The first full week of the programme is devoted to the murgas and comparsas competitions, although on the Saturday and Sunday, families travelling to the city have other opportunities to join the celebrations. Among these is the Vegueta Daytime Carnival; it’s a good idea to go early if you’re with children, before the multitudinous crowd takes over the streets again. This is the programme for Saturday 23 February: the first of the daytime fiestas that fill so much of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival Schedule, which repeats these celebrations in the sunlight on two Sundays, 24 February and 3 March, and on Carnival Tuesday (5 March) in Santa Catalina Park, and on Saturday 2 March in and around Triana’s Calle Mayor, in the historic heart of the city once again.
Sunday 24 February is also a chance for the little ones to get to know the Dog Carnival (12 pm). The pets in their costumes, together with their owners, gather at Santa Catalina to compete on stage in a unique competition, followed from the stands with the same spirit. What a gathering of Carnival dogs, showing off their costumes in this singular social happening.
The kids’ throne
On that same Sunday, 24, the Parque Santa Catalina is taken over by the candidates for Junior Queen or King (7 pm). A competition with very young contenders for the junior crown of the Carnival. It is no insignificant matter: many of the designers who compete in the big gala with their spectacular designs are also the designers behind the kids’ costumes. This gala is closely followed by the families, and reveals to the visitor the importance in the fiesta of the Queen’s dresses.
A Tuesday for the little ones
On Carnival Tuesday, 5 March, the Gran Canaria capital’s Carnival schedule dedicates a great day to kids. It’s the day of the Junior Parade, which leaves from Castillo de La Luz at 5 pm, and ends in Santa Catalina. It’s the festivities’ great junior procession, where groups with the youngest Carnival participants take part, alongside floats and a multitude of families in fancy dress. The parade ends with a great children’s party in the Parque Santa Catalina, with musical performances. Without a doubt, a great opportunity for the little ones to understand the importance of the Carnival and to join in the fun of the great fancy dress party.