On February 4, the Fairgrounds was home to a new instalment of the Costumes Exhibition at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, featuring over 300 participants. However, there were other costumes that garnered attention and admiration on the streets for their originality and distinctiveness.
Some costumes had a backstory, like the one depicting the traffic jams on the TF-5 highway, while others managed to impress Darío López, a Carnival specialist.


The TF-5 Highway Traffic Jams
In secret, and with significant assistance from close family, the costume required 130 meters of EVA foam and resulted in many silicone burns. This is how the TF-5 traffic jams costume, possibly the most unique at the 2024 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, came to be. Its creator, 32-year-old Adrián Rodríguez González, now residing in La Matanza de Acentejo, shared all the details with DIARIO DE AVISOS.
The young man from Jardina, now married to Adriana, celebrated the Friday ride at home with family and on Saturday with friends. “The date wasn’t planned; he thought it was Carnival, and that was the perfect excuse,” he stated.
He also mentioned that choosing the costume theme wasn’t too difficult, as “We experience the TF-5 traffic jams daily, back and forth, and discussed it at length. It was evident with the traffic cut in Guamasa and the 90-day promise to resolve it.”
The wedding guests were forewarned that the party would spill onto the streets of Santa Cruz. So, when the time came, after dropping some hints, they revealed it. “It was quite amusing to see their initial surprise, followed by lots of laughter,” Adrián Rodríguez recalled.
The TF-5 disguise was a resounding success. “They nailed it,” acknowledged comedian Darío López from Palante Producciones on social media. Once in the capital, Adrian claimed that they couldn’t make much headway along the street. “We were a real traffic jam, We were a group of 50, and it was very challenging to navigate through certain areas,” he explained.
Carnival, how can I not love you 🥰 pic.twitter.com/4mXRARo5r0
— Palante Productions (@palanteTuiter) February 10, 2024
Ghost
As is customary every year, popular Tenerife comedian Dario Lopez from Palante Productions, with his fantasy Zoyla from TV, made sure not to miss the unveiling parade and was nearly left speechless by a costume. It was that of a group of girls who recreated the iconic pottery scene from the movie Ghost (1990), starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg.
“They nailed it. How amazing,” the local comedian acknowledged while the melodious Unchained Melody from the film played.


Risto Mejide
Risto Mejide shot to fame as a judge on Operación Triunfo. His acerbic wit made him go viral, gain popularity, and ultimately become a regular fixture on television.
In Tú si que vales, another talent show, Risto Mejide was true to form: critical, acerbic at times, and often empathetic towards the participants. Finding out whether he approved or disapproved was one of the most anticipated moments of the program and was captured by a carnival-goer.
TikTok user @ruthramos297 captured the moment near Orche, the mythical place of the Santa Cruz Carnival, and shared it with all of us. The reactions were swift, noting the remarkable physical resemblance to the real Risto Mejide.