2016 - THE ROARING 20s

A poster which is evocative of the dances of the Roaring 20s, reflecting the aesthetic, the fashion and Art Deco motifs of those years; it was the image of a Carnival inspired by the decade that marked the 1920s in New York.

The 2016 Carnival revisited the great parties of the era on a stage which recreated a dance hall of 1400 square metres, at a height of 22 metres.

Through his staging, Alberto Trujillo took on the challenge of reflecting people's appetite for luxury, the fascination with decoration and celebration of all things ephemeral, as the precepts under which society in the Roaring 20s operated.

The group Efecto Pasillo opened the Roaring 20s Carnival.

Memories of a very Carnival-filled youth and the musical hits of Efecto Pasillo were the features of the opening proclamation of the Carnival, offered on the night of 29 January by the four members of the Gran Canaria group from Santa Ana Square before 6,000 people.

Their costumes, the open spirit of the festivities and evident gratitude to their city for the hits achieved were present during the 45 minutes that Iván Torres, Javier Moreno, Nau Barreto and Arturo Sosa used to kick off the most important festivities in the Gran Canaria capital.

The Gran Canaria capital's Carnival crowned Paula Miranda as Queen of the edition dedicated to the Roaring 20s.

Del Centro Comercial Atlántico Vecindario in collaboration with the Asociación Española contra el Cáncer presented the winning candidate, who modelled a costume called “El lazo que nos une” (The Tie that Brings us Together) by Manuel Encinoso and Begoña Pérez.

The humour of Grimassira Maeva triumphed again in the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival Drag Queen Gala Drag Queen, after having taken the sash in 2014 also. The candidate came onto stage with a choreography and designed presented under the title “#EncalladaenTenerifa Señoras y Señores, estamos en un breve intervalo Publicitario #Aquejode”, (#BeachedinTenerifa Ladies and Gentlemen, We are in a Short Commercial Break #Pissesyouoff), in representation of Good Look Gym and Cross Training Las Palmas.

Gran Canarian humour, changes of rhythm, the staging which included the Maspalomas dunes, the appearance of the papahuevos (giant papier maché figures) and the chords of the Agaete Band, as well as a nod to the idiosyncrasy of the people of Gran Canaria, all contributed to Rayco Santana, born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, being proclaimed Drag Queen for this edition.

Carmen Martín Ceballos, with her costume “Flapper Girl”, a design by Idaire and Abiel Niño in representation of the Isleta-Puerto-Guanarteme District, took the title of Carnival Grand Dame in 2016.

Accompanied by horses, a page and a clock, Dayanara Hernández Suárez conquered the audience and the jury of the Carnival Junior Queen Gala. The design “Soñé con ser la princesa de este cuento”, (I Dreamt of Being The Princess of This Tale), with the signature of Kevin Rodríguez González, represented the Restaurante La Entrada and Piscolabis El Barrigón.

The group from Carrizal, Los Legañosos, won three titles in the Roaring 20s Carnival Murgas Contest: the First Prize for Performance, the Second Prize for Costume and the Tomás Pérez Prize for the Lyrics of “El repartidor siempre llama dos veces” (The Delivery Man always Rings Twice). The 67 members of this Murga, founded in 1982 and directed by David Zurita, convinced the members of the jury, who had listened to the work of the twenty Murgas taking part in this edition for four nights.

The jury also gave the Second Prize for Performance to the group which had won the first prize the previous year, Los nietos de Sary Mánchez, and the Third Prize to the Female Murga from Cruz de Piedra, Las Traviesas.

Finally, the Criticón Prize, awarded by the Press, went to the song “Los récords Guinness” (the Guinness Records), by Los nietos de Sary Mánchez.

The costume prizes to the Murgas Las Crazy-Trotas, Los Legañosos and Las Despistadas (first, second and third, respectively).

The Comparsa Baracoa triumphed on the night of the Comparsas with a choreography which made them deserve the First Prize for Performance in the Adult Comparsas Contest. Kisamba, for its part, took the First Prize for Costume.

The Comparsas hit the stage running and beat a record for participation, since there had never been 12 groups competing on the Santa Catalina Park stage.

Cubatao took the First Prize for Performance to Jinámar as well as the Second Prize for Costume. The First Prize for Costume went to the boys and girls of the Covadonga Junior Comparsa for their début appearance.

The winning Comparsa, the veteran Cubatao, took two new prizes to the neighbourhood of Jinámar, to add to the ones won in previous editions (in 2015 it also took a Second Prize for Costume and a Second for Performance). In addition, Covadonga Junior, the Comparsa founded in 2015 and based in Castillo del Romeral, making its début, took the prize for costume creativity in their first performance in the capital's Carnival.

The work of make-up artists Marta Artiles, Karen Garcia and Carmen Arranz on the model Jesús Aday Velasco took the first prize in a contest which is attracting more and more followers every year. The prize recognised the beauty of the painting and the enormous care taken over staging by the model.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria's Carnival Monday was an intense experience with two of the highly anticipated acts on the programme, the Traditional Carnival and the Adult Costume Contest; this last left Eduardo del Rosario Taisma (in the individual category) and Chiara's Girls (in the group category) as winners.

Eduardo del Rosario Taisma, with his costume “Tráete mojo picón, pa las papas arrugás, Carmensa” (Bring Some Mojo Picón Sauce over Here for The Wrinkled Potatoes, Carmensa) by Zoilo García Hernández, representing Nettronica Servicios Informáticos and Montados Café.

Las Chiara's Girls picked up the first prize in the group category for the show “Entre plumas y purpurinas nace una banda muy divina” (A Totally Divine Band Born among Plumes and Glitter), accompanied by a costume designed by Dulce María Ortega and presented thanks to Peluquería Aire Joven and Centro de Estética Mónica Rivero.

Ashé, the podenco which also won the first prize in 2014 and 2015, retained the title in 2016. “La Leyenda del Faraón” (The Legend of the Pharaoh), made by its owner Isachi Rodríguez Fernández, was the name of the costume which meant he took the First Prize in the 6th edition of the Dogs' Carnival.