Javier Caraballero has had his name linked to the festivities of the Tenerife capital for many years, after having been in charge of the artistic direction and production of different events in the city. However, since the last elections he has faced another, more complex direction, as he is responsible for the direction of the Autonomous Body for Festivals and Recreational Activities (Oafar) of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council. A Festival councilor, who knows about festivals, and who now faces his first big test: Carnival.
-How do you face the beginning of the Carnival, which officially started last Friday?
“This has been a complicated year due to the speed of the Carnival, which has been so close to Christmas. In addition, we have gone through a period with elections involved, where many changes have occurred in the administration. Therefore, it has been a few months, very fast, to prepare all the carnival events, but both the Festival staff and the different artistic and production teams that work for us are giving their all and are doing it piecemeal so that everything be ready for the day you have to be. The really complicated thing about this type of areas is that we are not talking about the work of a road, which if it is not finished today it will be finished next week. Here the events have a specific day and time and everything has to be finalized and well done no matter what, so that there is no possibility of error. We work from that pressure, but despite that I am very happy because everything is going smoothly and I think the opening gala last Friday went very well and was liked.”
-Did you expect success in the sale of tickets for contests and galas?
“There is a lot of expectation with this Carnival and even I am surprised at how quickly the tickets have been sold, because we were used to them being sold out on the first day for the final of the adult murgas, as has been common for many years. But, the reality is that since they went on sale last Thursday, a large part of the contests have already been sold out, in addition to the seats for the Queen’s Election Gala, despite the fact that this year we divided the sale of locations in two days, for contests and another for the galas, so that the website did not collapse. Therefore, I think it has been a success and it is a fact that reflects the good health of the Carnival and the desire that people have to enjoy a relaxed moment of celebration and that our Carnival continues to have an overwhelming success. I am certainly very excited about the new position I occupy, although with much more responsibility than before, even though I have been working at Carnival and doing the different Santa Cruz festivities from the artistic direction and production side for many years. Now I am responsible for ensuring that everything goes well and that is sometimes complicated, because things are seen from a different point of view, although for now I am happy because everything is going very well.”
-The Carnival scene has already begun to take shape. What surprises are we going to find?
“The stage located at the Fairgrounds to host the different competitions and galas is growing even though we are on schedule, it must be said. But the truth is that it is going at a good pace and that everything is going to come out on schedule because everyone is working against the clock, from the lighting, sound, set design, flooring and assembly companies for the stands. Everything will be ready for the 18th, when the contests will begin with the first phase of children’s murgas. Aside from the main setup of the stage, of course there will always be a small surprise in store for the day of the adult Queen’s Gala, on February 7, which is evidently one of the brightest events of our Carnival. Last Thursday some of the important pieces of this Carnival stage were already uploaded and the King Kong that will preside over it has been placed, which is actually spectacular and even scary (laughs). We are going to have a spectacular setting and therefore I am very happy with Nareme Melián’s work in this regard. It has been a success to have such an important artist, who knows so much about carnival and who has demonstrated it with the advertising posters that he has made for the party. Aesthetically, he has a lot of taste and is a great professional who will ensure that the stage is very pleasing.”
-And can you announce any news for the Queen’s Gala?
“This event, without a doubt, must continue to be the promotion platform for our Queen candidates, who are the true protagonists of that night. In this edition we will continue to feature the Carnival groups and a small sample of everything that happens at our party, because in the end it is the most important show at an international level and is exported to the rest of the world. Therefore, what we will try is to put a little point on each of the brushstrokes that our party has and the key is that the groups are going to do what they really like to do and the work they have been doing will be valued. developing over six months. On the other hand, they are not going to do excessively new things, but I can say that it is going to be a very musical gala and in which we will have some very well-known guest artists. I encourage all people to enjoy the Gala at the Fairgrounds, if they have gotten tickets, or through its broadcast on Televisión Canaria and Televisión Española.”
-Is there any intention to innovate in the development of the Carnival galas?
“Every year we try to innovate, but the format we have been working with for many years is the one established by José Tamayo, which works and is liked. In quotes it is quite pigeonholed and therefore it is quite difficult to change, because it is what people expect to see every year. But we are going to put together a gala in which we will continue to accommodate our Carnival, which has two fundamental parts, the more institutional one dedicated to the groups that work for the festival out of pure passion and, on the other, that of the explosion in the street. Therefore, the show has to be the mixture of all these things condensed into a two and a half hour product that will be exported abroad so that anyone who sees it can understand the idiosyncrasies of our party. Although there will not be big changes, this year some new things will be incorporated and some surprises that I think you will really like and that I cannot reveal yet. But I anticipate that it will be the first time that something like this will be done at a Carnival Gala.”
-Could contests and galas return to the streets?
“This is the million dollar question and it generates mixed feelings, nostalgia and logic. From a subjective point of view it invites you to think, let’s go to the street with a much higher, more spectacular stage so that people can appreciate it better, something together with that romantic touch of ending the gala with those fireworks behind the stage . But, from an objective point of view, the Fairgrounds gives you more security, especially due to inclement weather, and it is also more comfortable to work in. When you talk to the groups and they start to remind you of when it rained on them in the Plaza de España, you see the other side. Since on top of that the contests could not be suspended due to bad weather because the problem with the party is that it has a very tight calendar where almost every day there is an event and it is almost impossible to change the date. Despite this, I would love to take the Carnival out to the streets again, despite all the inconveniences it generates, since from an economic point of view it would be infinitely more expensive due to all the setup involved in creating a stage prepared for wind or rain. It is a quite complicated decision to make and for the moment I think that the Carnival is not going to go to the streets, at least in its part of contests and galas, although our biggest explosion continues to be the hundreds of thousands of people who take part. his costume to live with joy and good vibes a street party that lasts nine days and with that security that does not happen anywhere else in the world.”
-In the future could there be a venue dedicated to Carnival?
“It is something that has been talked about for a long time and it is a possibility that has not been ruled out, that of creating a certain specific infrastructure for the Carnival in the city. But in the short term it is not going to happen.”
-What do you expect from the Chicharrero Carnival?
“I hope that people will experience this Carnival with joy and enthusiasm. Let everyone feel comfortable feeling that it is their party. And may everything turn out well. If they give me blows, well, I expect it because the position implies it, but when things happen and in a context where you enjoy what you do, I think that already makes up for everything else.”