Santa Cruz now has its Queen! The Election Gala took place last night at the Fairgrounds. Promptly at 9:30 p.m., the show began with an opening act led mainly by the comedian and host Aaron Gomez. A television set on the stage served as a common theme for the nearly 20-minute introduction.
Aaron then took the stage to lead the first musical segment of the night, captivating the packed Fairgrounds audience with a journey to Central Perk, the era of Raffaella Carrà, Friends, the Golden Girls, and other iconic television references.
The pace of the opening act, which until then could have resembled a Christmas Eve gala on Televisión Canaria, picked up with a tribute to Celia Cruz, preceding the final reveal: the Carnival groups filled the venue, and the television set, a central element on stage, opened to unveil the Queen of Carnival 2023.
The opening act marked the highlight of the gala following the candidate presentations, and truth be told, it did not exude the expected magic and failed to rouse or engage the audience. However, Elvis Sanfiel and Eloísa González, the hosts, subsequently took to the stage with the aim of captivating the night. After the jury’s introduction and a humorous skit, Ni Fú Ni Fá made their entrance, earning applause from all present, and preceded the first group of candidates, who paraded amidst the warm reception of the dedicated audience.
The rondallas bridged the gap between the second and third groups of candidates with their song “Sintonízate,” followed by the musical groups, who did the same between the third and final groups of candidates. Just over an hour into the event, with remarkable efficiency, the 11 Queen candidates had already presented, standing out for the remarkable work of this year’s designers and the high standard of their costumes.
The jury commenced deliberations, and the Queen of the Venezuelan Canary Home made her entrance, escorted by Carnival characters. Following her were the lively troupes, spreading the essence of the carnival. Then, an unsuccessful “humorous” skit featuring a Drag Queen set the stage for the performance of Tonny Tun Tun, who got everyone in attendance dancing to his well-known songs. Minutes later, the highly anticipated artist of the night, Mónica Naranjo, arrived, surprising and electrifying the audience with her extraordinary voice. Behind her, the murgas concluded Jep Meléndez’s first gala, an evening that flowed seamlessly until the conclusion of the candidates’ parade, albeit with intermittent “filler” moments. And now, Santa Cruz has its Queen!
