Cadiz Carnival Programme 2024
This blog contains Cadiz carnival programme of 2024 translated. Cadiz Carnival is one of the most famous carnivals in Spain with international touristic interest designation.
Cadiz’s carnival main focus is humour. Through sarcasm and irony, the groups and the people of the street complain by singing about the current events and political parties in Spain. While some carnivals elsewhere in the world focus on glamorous costumes and spectacular dances, Cadiz stands out for its clever and imaginative theatrics.
Cadiz Carnival
The first references to Cadiz’s carnival that are known come from the sixteenth century. Cadiz Carnival has some influence from the Genoese culture from Italy that has existed in Cádiz since the fifteenth century. After the Turks’ displacement to the Mediterranean, Italian merchants ventured West instead, settling in Cadiz. Cadiz became a commercial center, with easy connections to the north as well as Africa. As well as products, the Italian merchants brought influence from their culture. The carnival masks, serpentines and confetti in the Cadiz carnival are all assimilated from the Italian carnival.
Origin of carnival
However, the origin of carnival comes from long before that. Before the emergence of Christianity, Ancient Greece and Italy had wild celebrations centered around the solstices, and equinoxes. But people did not want to give up these celebrations, even after they became Christians. Therefore the Catholic Church adopted many of the celebrations, overlaying them with Christian meanings. For instance, the feast dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and to the god of wine, Bacchus. This festival celebrated around the longest night of the year (December 17), became the Roman Empire’s celebration of Christmas (December 25th).
One celebration was postponed until the week before Lent began, around the time of the spring equinox. The new springtime celebration came to be called carnival or carnaval. This name comes from the Latin words carnis (“flesh” or “meat”) and levare (“to leave off”), since the end of the carnival festival leads to the start of Lent, during which the population had to renounce meat and other pleasures of the flesh. Most of the medieval carnival festivals climaxed on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent officially began on Ash Wednesday. In Latin, Shrove Tuesday is mardis gras.
Musical groups
Carnival is celebrated with many different types of musical groups and performance. However, the most famous groups are the chirigotas, the choirs, and the comparsas.
Comparsas
These are witty and satirical groups that train for the whole year to sing about politics, topics in the news, and everyday circumstances. All of the group members wear identical costumes. There is an official competition in Teatro Falla for the best group each year. Yet they can also sing in the streets and squares, at improvised venues and in established open-air tablaos (tableaux) organized by the carnival clubs.
Chirigotas
The chirigotas are quite similar to the comparsas in that they also sing together as a group in identical costumes. However, the chirigotas’ tunes are happier with more positive lyrics even though they may address the same subjects as the comparsas. They also compete in the Teatro Falla for the awards.
Choirs (coros)
The coros are larger groups that travel through the streets on open flat-bed carts or wagons, singing, with a small band of guitars and lutes. They are famous for their characteristic “Carnival Tango” and they alternate between comical and serious songs. They will often sing songs with tribute to the city and its citizens. Their costumes are much more sophisticated and elaborate than the rest.
Musical forms
The Presentation is the first piece sung to present the characterisation of the group, called its tipo. The style of the music is completely unstructured and free. It can be a well-known musical form, an original composition, or even a spoken-word recitation.
The Couplet is a song sung by the chirigotas, comparsas, choirs, and quartets. They are short satirical songs with a repeated chorus that the audience will often join in singing. The song is always related to the costume and the characterisation (tipo) of the group.
The Pasodoble is a longer song without a chorus. It is usually (but not always) serious, criticising a current event that occured in the previous year or as an homage to somebody well-known. The pasodoble is sung by the comparsas and the chirigotas.
The Tango, with its characteristic gaditano rhythm is sung only by the choirs and accompanying orchestra. Typically they are poetic songs.
The Potpourri, sung by all of the groups, uses well-known songs that were popular over the year or any other kind of music depending on the group’s tipo, and changes the lyrics.
Cadiz’s carnival programme 2024
It officially starts 18th to 26th of Februarye. Below is the Cadiz Carnival Programme for 2024. However take into account that the best part of the carnival in Cadiz is to walk around in the evening and listen to the different non official chirigotas singing in the streets.
8th February
12:30- Reception of the “pregonero del carnaval”.
20:00- Final of the Romance contest in the falla theatre
9th February
20:00-Falla theatre, Final COAC (Carnival Official Group Contest) 2024
10th February
12:00- carnival parade of children
20:30-“Pregón del carnaval” to welcome the carnival in Plaza San Antonio
22:30 – Winners of the COAC Adults will perform in the street in “Barrio de la viña” and in Plaza de San Antonio
11th February
13:00- plaza de abastos / plaza mina choirs performances.
17:30 – Magna parade from Glorieta Ana Orantes to Puertas de Tierra.
12th February
13:00 – Street performances of groups singing or puppets in “plaza de abastos/plaza mina” of choirs
16:00- 44th Flamenco (Tanguillos) competition in the municipal centre of arte flamenco la Merced.
20:00 – Carnival groups festival in Plaza de San Antonio.
13th February (one of the main days)
16:00 – 44th Flamenco (Tanguillos) competition in the municipal centre of arte flamenco la Merced.
19:30 – Groups acting in Plaza de Candelaria/ Barrio de la Viña.
20:00 – Parade carrying the Gran Momo (figure that will burn later) from Plaza San Juan de Dios to Plaza San Antonio
21:30 – Plaza de San Antonio Performance of Gran Momo and burning the God Momo.
14th February
16:00 – 44th Flamenco (Tanguillos) competition in the municipal centre of arte flamenco la Merced.
17:00-20:00 – Dress competition for children in Plaza San Antonio
19:00 – Coplas in Barrio de Santa María/ Plaza San Juan de Dios
19:30 – Groups acting in Plaza de Candelaria/ Barrio de la Viña.
20:30 – Groups acting in Plaza de San Francisco.
15th February
16:00-20:00 – Games for the young in Plaza de San Juan de Dios
19:00 – Coplas performing barrio de Santa María and Plaza de San Juan de Dios
19:30 – Groups acting in Plaza de Candelaria/ Barrio de la Viña.
22:30 – Great concert at Plaza de San Antonio.
16th February
16:00-20:00 – Games for the young in Plaza de San Juan de Dios
19:00 – Coplas performing barrio de Santa María and Plaza de San Juan de Dios
22:00 – Great concert at Plaza de San Antonio.
23:30 – Great concert at Plaza de San Antonio.
17th February
16:00 – 44th Flamenco (Tanguillos, type of flamenco from Cadiz) final at gran falla theatre.
12:30 – Plaza de San Antonio Luli pampin concert for children
13:00- Plaza del mentidero / la viña Chorus performance
14:00-18:00 – Around San Antonio /Plaza San Juan de Dios. Performances of children and teenagers
19:00 – Historical town Carnival humour parade
22:00 – Great concert at Plaza de San Antonio.
23:30 – Great concert at Plaza de San Antonio
18th February
12:30 – Plaza San Antonio musical performance for children
13:00 – Plaza de Abastos /Plaza Mino choirs performance.
14:00 – 18:00 Around San Antonio /Plaza San Juan de Dios. Performances of children and teenagers
14:00 – 18:00 Ana Orantes roundabout, the great Piñata for children. Afternoon of games.
22:00 – burning the Piti witch.
22:15 Plaza Fernando Quiñones / Caleta beach. Performance of light and sounds to say goodbye to carnival
25th February
Carnaval Chiquito : Throughout the old town you can see “illegal” groups singing their songs for a smaller groups. It is for those that 10 days of Carnical was not enough.
Full day tours from Cadiz
I hope this Cadiz carnival programme will help you to design your holiday to Cadiz. If you are looking for what gourmet food of Andalusia, traditional and Sherry wine tours in Cadiz, then keep reading. I will now take advantage to show off to you the great food tours in Vejer de la Frontera and throughout Cadiz province that we do.
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