Twenty thousand people? … On a Tuesday?
That’s La Orotava when Carnival kicks in properly.
The Coso Apoteosis turned the main stretch from Cruz del Teide down to Plaza de la Paz in El Calvario into three solid hours of colour, noise and organised chaos on 17th February. It’s one of the north’s flagship Carnival events and this year, it really showed.
More than fifty groups took part, coming from across the island and of course plenty from the town itself.
The murgas were out in force. Virgueritos, Trinkosos, Pizzicatos, Las Deslenguadas, Las Oxidadas, Los Tiralenguas, Las Parlachinas, Los Ferrusquentos, Los Minivirgues, Menudos Irónicos, Los Tiralenguines and Ferruquentitos…the list goes on.
If you like sharp lyrics and a bit of pointed humour, this is where you stand and listen carefully.
Then came the comparsas and batucadas. Carabao Wayana, K’Nadum, Ritmo del Viento, Ritmo Batukeiro, Los Villeros, Percusión Social Bloko, Tagoror Drums and Barabere.
Fantastic noise of drums echoing off the buildings, feathers everywhere, and that steady rhythm you feel in your chest before you hear it properly.
It wasn’t just dance groups either.
Rondalla Volcanes del Teide brought a more traditional touch. The fanfarrias from Peña El Casco, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Catalina and Los Realejos added brass and volume.
Choreography groups like Wild Dance, WT Revolution Dance and Vicente Oramas Díaz filled the gaps with slick routines, while Buen Rollo and Polmacarne did exactly what their names suggest.
Then you’ve got the spontaneous groups.
Hundreds of them. Themed outfits, decorated cars, friends who clearly decided three days earlier what they were going as and made it work anyway. That’s half the charm.
The adult and children’s Carnival Queens, Bárbara Urimare Fajardo and Aroa Pacheco Cabrera, paraded on their floats with their courts. Proper spectacle. And bringing up the rear, the guagua-discoteca, followed by a wave of young people who clearly had no intention of going home early.
Even the mayor, Francisco Linares, and the councillor for fiestas, Alexis Pacheco, got involved in costume. Fair play. If you’re going to lead Carnival, you may as well dress for it.
The morning had already set the tone, with strong attendance at the classic car exhibition and parade around the Valley, centred on Plaza de la Constitución. Old engines, polished chrome and plenty of people pretending they know more about carburettors than they actually do.
And when the parade finished?
Straight into a verbena in Plaza de la Constitución with the orchestra La Maquinaria.
Meanwhile, the younger crowd headed to Avenida de Canarias for the mobile disco float and party.
Carnival in La Orotava doesn’t taper off gently.
It rolls straight into the next thing.
And next up is the duelo and burning of Crispín.
Because no Tenerife Carnival is complete without setting something symbolic on fire.