Utilising the same budget to organise a local carnival, where everyone feels like a star and can showcase their talents. This is the challenge faced by the New Councillor for Fiestas de Puerto de la Cruz, Luis Javier González, who assumed the role following a motion of no confidence that resulted in socialist Marco González losing control to the popular Leopold Afonso on August 16.
Leading the organisation of the Carnestolendas Portuenses, a murguero deeply familiar with the Portuense festivities, Luis Javier González, who has spent twenty-eight years as the director of the local critical group PuertoPotras – up until 2014, plus another edition – is eager to enhance the Portuense programme. This enthusiasm faces a challenge due to a significant financial deficit, not only the €300,000 budget allocated to manage the overall events, but especially regarding the payments that were made in previous years and are still outstanding.
The debt owed to the numerous Carnival Portuense groups, as well as those from elsewhere, is so substantial that they have not received the promised compensation since 2022.
“I will not make promises I cannot fulfil,” is another guiding principle of Luis Javier González, who has taken the bold step of introducing changes to the event programme rather than merely replicating previous editions.
Four galas in a fortnight
The Councillor for Fiestas has confirmed the staging of four galas over two weeks, after the commencement of the portuense carnival on Saturday, February 15 – coinciding with the final of the Murgas in Santa Cruz and the contest for musical groups –. On this day, the proclamation and presentation of candidates will occur for adults, children, seniors, and the carnival king.
The proclamation of the festivities and the introduction of the candidates will take place at the Casa de la Aduana, while the four galas will be hosted in the festive area set up in the port zone.
Before the week concludes, Luis Javier González is awaiting the appointment of the artistic director, crucial for determining the programme to decide who will officially launch the carnival festivities.
The selection of the 2025 carnival sovereign will occur on Thursday, February 20, just after the proclamation of the queen of the elderly in the capital. In Puerto de la Cruz, the Proclamation of the Grande Dama will take place. On Sunday, February 23, the children’s gala will feature the youth show, while Tuesday, February 25, marks the inaugural election of the King of Carnival.
This commitment was made by the Councillor for Fiestas last summer when he first took office amidst financial difficulties and a decision to go ahead with winter events. If successful, as anticipated, it will return in February. Consequently, the portuense organisation will move the transformism gala to the summer carnival due to the inability to support five performances of this artistic nature reliably.
The fourth gala corresponds to the overall sovereign of the Portuense celebrations, which, as per tradition, will take place the day after the Santa Cruz show, specifically on Thursday, February 27.
Outstanding issues
Another challenge to address is to ensure participation from adult and senior candidates. Currently, the Portuense Carnival organisation has seven candidates vying for the title of King and four children participants. However, it is necessary to find candidates for the adult sovereign and the grande dame, where only two contestants have registered in each category, prompting the councillor to extend the registration deadline while still respecting those who have already signed up.
The shortage of designers, or candidates, is again tied to financial issues inherited by the new government team. The creators have not received the compensation promised for prior years – €1,000 for each candidate in previous events – and the new councillor announced he would not continue the municipal contribution per costume, which means €1,000 for participants. This has led most costume creators to choose not to participate, although Luis Javier González remains optimistic about a change in perspective.
Updates in programming
A few months after taking office as the Councillor for Portuense parties, Luis Javier González has introduced two modifications to the programme to acknowledge groups and activities. The first change will affect the Announcer Cavalcade, which will see its route adjusted to the vicinity of the Plaza de El Charco and San Felipe Street, allowing groups to present their works to an audience that will gather in that area. The second innovation, ‘Entremurgas,’ encourages groups to perform songs in the streets, reminiscent of the informal Cadiz groups, engaging with party enthusiasts.
The head of the portuense organisation appreciates the cooperation and willingness of all parties involved in executing the 2025 carnival and concludes: “We are not competitors to Santa Cruz; we are complementary.”
