Carnaval de Cádiz
The Carnival of Cádiz turns streets, squares and theaters into stages for songs, satire and costumes. Its personality is born both from the Official Competition of Carnival Groups and from spontaneous participation in the street, where non-registered groups sing surrounded by the public.
Date and duration
It is a mobile festival linked to Lent. The official period usually occupies ten days: from the Thursday before Ash Wednesday until the following Sunday, called Piñata Sunday. The COAC and the previous gastronomic celebrations extend the carnival calendar for weeks.
In Cádiz, Carnival Monday is usually declared local holiday through the work calendar of each year; Not all days of the party are public holidays.
Main places
The Gran Teatro Falla hosts the group competition. The Plaza de San Antonio is one of the great stages, while the choir carousels travel around the Central Market and squares like Mina. La Viña concentrates a good part of the street carnival. The main avenue serves as a route for the parade and numerous squares in the historic centre host tablaos, circuits and concerts.
Also check out the festivals of Cádiz.
Origin and history
The Cádiz festival has been documented since the end of the 16th century and took on features of Italian carnivals due to the presence of Genoese merchants in a city open to Atlantic and Mediterranean traffic. Masks, masks and dances coexisted with a local tradition of groups that walked the streets singing.
In the 19th century, the Plaza de San Antonio and Calle Ancha were already central. The City Council incorporated the festival into its municipal calendar in 1862 and the groups consolidated their organisation. The satire of current affairs and the songs broadcast every year turned the Carnival into a cultural expression typical of Cádiz.
COAC y modalidades
The Official Competition of Carnival Groups takes place at the Gran Teatro Falla before the street party. Its adult modalities are choirs, troupes, chirigotas and quartets:
- El coro combines numerous voices and string instruments; Tango is his characteristic piece and he usually tours the city on a batea.
- La comparsa offers a more lyrical and critical interpretation, with the pasodoble as a prominent form.
- La chirigota cultivate humor and satire; the cuplé is one of its essential elements.
- El cuarteto, despite its name, can bring together three to five performers and relies especially on parody.
The carnival in the street
After the contest, the official groups perform in tablaos and circuits. Along with them appear street groups, known as illegal, formed by friends who do not compete and sing in groups in streets and squares. Costumes constructed with ingenuity, lyrics about current events and direct contact with the public define this aspect of the party.
Acts and traditions
- Proclamation, lighting and final of the COAC at the beginning of the official period.
- Choir carousels around the Central Market, La Viña and other neighbourhoods.
- Cabalgata Magna, Cabalgata del Humor and costume contests.
- Act and burning of the Momo God, circuits of groups and ballads.
- Piñata Sunday and closing with the burning of the Piti Witch.
- Chiquito or Jartibles Carnival the following Sunday to prolong the street songs.
Previous gastronomic festivals
Pestiñada, Erizada and Ostionada offer popular tastings and the first contact with the songs of the new groups. Pestiños, sea urchins and oysters function as a meeting point before the main week. During the Carnival, seafood products and Cadiz dishes are also common.
Organisation and recognitions
The City Council's Festival and Carnival Delegation coordinates the municipal programme, the COAC and the main events, with the participation of groups, clubs, associations, cultural institutions, hospitality and citizens. The Carnival of Cádiz is recognized as a Festival of International Tourist Interest and protected in Andalusia as an Asset of Cultural Interest.