Carnival in Gran Canaria is an amazing experience, and Carnival 2018 is looking to be no different. Every year, the island votes on a specific theme for carnival to be centred around. For example, last year, the Carnival in Las Palmas had the theme “Eternal Spring”, and we saw a myriad of flowers and colours in the streets. This year, the theme is “Magic and Fantastic Creatures”, so we expect to see dragons, chimeras and all sorts around the island!
Las Palmas carnival 2018 starts on the 26th January and goes on until the 18th February, so we’ve compiled a short list of the most important carnival events:
26th Jan: Opening night starts at 20:30 at Plaza Cairasco.
3rd Feb: There is a children’s carnival at 11:00 at Plaza Santa Ana, and a noon carnival from 12:00 to 20:00 at Vegueta.
4th Feb: You don’t want to miss the Canine Carnival at 12:00 in Parque Santa Catalina.
9th Feb: The Queen Gala starts at 21:00 at Parque Santa Catalina, and is where the Queen of the Carnival 2018 is chosen. Expect gorgeous dresses and massive costumes.
12th Feb: Don’t miss out on the Drag Queen Gala as well at 19:00 in Parque Santa Catalina, where the winner is announced and all inhibitions are lost during this fantastic event,
13th Feb: The children’s parade (presided over by the Junior Queen!) starts at 17:00 at Parque Santa Catalina. At 19:30 there’s also a kids party to let them wind down and have even more fun at Parque Santa Catalina.
17th Feb: The Great Carnival Parade of 2018 happens this day. At 17:00, over 200,000 people, over 100 floats and cars accompanied by the Drag Queen, Great Lady, the Queen and Junior Queen parade throughout the city. Don’t miss out on the greatest event of carnival season! It starts at León Y Castillo Con Plaza De La Feria before moving onto Plaza Manuel Becerra.
For more details regarding Las Palmas Carnival 2018 visit the official web site here.
Carnivals differ all over the island, with different places having different themes. The Maspalomas Carnival 2018 starts on March 2nd and goes on until March 11th. The theme this year is “The Middle Ages”. The main events below can be found in the Yumbo Centre:
3rd Mar: Carnival Queen Gala.
8th Mar: Drag Queen Gala.
10th Mar: The main Carnival Parade happens in Playa del Inglés starting at 17:00 and the party goes on late into the evening at the Yumbo Centre.
The official program for Maspalomas hasn’t been posted on the site as of yet, but we’ve been provided with the dates for the above. Check here for more updates when they become available. In the meantime, there are plenty of other things to do until the Maspalomas Carnival starts!
And there you have it! You don’t want to miss out on Carnival 2018, the events are incredibly memorable and make for great stories. Of course, there are other carnivals across the island, such as Mogán’s carnival from the 20th to the 25th, with the theme of “Comics and Superheroes”, but to write about them all would make an essay, so check out the official sites for more information, and start working on your costume!