There’s been a bit of noise lately about Carnival… mainly coming out of Las Palmas.
A court there has basically said the party needs to move or quiet down, after complaints from residents. Even compensation being paid out… which tells you how far it’s gone.
Naturally, that’s raised the question… could the same thing happen in Santa Cruz?
Short answer… highly unlikely.
The councillor for Fiestas, Javier Caraballero, has come out and said exactly what most people here already know… take Carnival off the streets and you kill it.
And he’s right.
Carnival in Santa Cruz isn’t just an event. It’s part of the city. Always has been. Even back in the day when it was banned, people still found ways to celebrate it quietly. That tells you everything you need to know.
You’re not dealing with something that can just be relocated to an industrial estate and called the same thing.
Now, the comparison with Las Palmas… doesn’t really hold up.
Different history, different setup, different feel altogether. Santa Cruz has established areas for Carnival. The Cuadrilátero, for example, isn’t new. There are rules, agreed years ago with residents… things like music cut-off times… and from what’s being said, they actually stick to them.
Which, in Spain, is sometimes half the battle.
In Las Palmas, it sounds like they’ve been moving things around year to year… never really settling it properly. That’s when people start getting fed up.
And once residents start heading to court, you’re already on the back foot.
Of course, there’s always the argument about noise and disruption.
Fair enough… if you live right in the middle of it, it’s not exactly peaceful. But at the same time, Carnival is a massive part of the island’s identity and economy. You’re not going to please everyone.
Caraballero summed it up quite bluntly… anyone can try to take Carnival to court in Tenerife, but they’d be up against pretty much the entire population.
That’s probably not an exaggeration.
Meanwhile, Las Palmas are appealing the ruling, and asking the obvious question… what next? Move the Fallas out of Valencia? San Fermín out of Pamplona?
You can see where that argument’s going.
End of the day, this feels like one of those things that works here because it’s always worked here.
Try to change it too much… and it stops being what it is.
And for Santa Cruz, that’s not really on the table.