Andalusia knows how to ‘throw’ a Carnival!
El Carnaval is one of the best festivities of the year everywhere. Cities get filled up of colors, energy, happiness and creativity! In some places, Carnival has the same importance as other great festivities such as Christmas and Easter.
We all know about some amazing and huge Carnivals around the world. Think about the colorful carnival in Rio de Janeiro or the luxurious one in Venice, famous for its elaborate masks and parades.
Naming the big ones doesn’t mean Spain has nothing to offer, on the contrary! Spain is famous for its energetic culture that is always down for musica, baile y comida en la calle! Also, as you might know, Spain is a Catholic country and that makes that Spanish people celebrate Carnival! And they celebrate it big as only los españoles can do
Spain’s best Carnivals are in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cadiz, Sitges (Barcelona) and many more.. Also, Malaga has an impressive Carnival
(starting the 21st of February until the 1st of March)! The Carnival in Malaga will entertain you 24/7 if you like, but let’s talk about the greatest one in Andalusia. The famous Carnival: Carnival of Cadiz!
Did you know…?
Carnival in Spain has been a great tradition since centuries, until Dictator Francisco Franco stopped it. Cadiz Carnival was the only one that Franco couldn’t ban at that time. People started doing it behind closed doors until 1948. Later, they started celebrating on the streets but only a few lucky ones, like reach and privileged people, could enjoy it. However, it was forbidden to use the word ¨Carnival¨.
After the death of Dictator Franco, Carnival came back and gained popularity. Carnival always has been a typical tradition of ”países cristianos”. The streets where again filled up with music, dancing, costumes, parades and typical Andalusian street food. Carnival is a great opportunity to get dressed whatever you like and mingle with your beloved friends. ”¡Que disfrutais!”
Discover ”Los Pestiños”
Carnival doesn’t bring only ”felicidad, música y baile…” It also brings us a lot of typical food! Los pestiños are the most famous ”dulces” during Carnival in Cadiz. They are similiar to fried cookies, aromatized with lemon and later filled up with honey, straight from la sierra de Cádiz.
Do you want to know what they are made of? Let’s check some ”vocabulario de cocina”
– Harina, Flour
-Aceite, Oil
-Limón, Lemon
-Vino, Wine
-Miel, Honey
-Anis, Anise
They are such an important tradition in Cadiz, that ”gaditanos” decided to create a whole event for them, called ”La Pestiñada”. It usually takes place on pre-carnival phase (8 of february 2020). People are able to get in and eat many ”pestiños” for free, while listening to the many ”coros” that are there to entertain people.
What are you waiting for? Be a real gaditano and try them! So yummy!
Cadiz Carnival: when and where
Cadiz is a city next to the beach in Andalusia and It´s only 2 hours and a half far from Malaga. Cadiz is already a beautiful city, with nice weather and many ”playas”, so you can imagine that it would be an even more amazing experience to go there for Carnival!
This year the Carnival will take place from 20th of February to 1st of March 2020.
People celebrate Carnival every single day during that period. We recommend you to go there during the weekends. Then there is a lot more ”fiesta”! Isn´t that what you want?
The first weekend is the most important and crowded one. But this year, the second weekend, starts with Friday 28th of February, which is a holiday (Andalusia Day). That means that Carnival will be intense both weekends.
Get ready with your friends for a super fun experience and plan when to go. You can also check the Carnival program online. This way, you won´t miss out anything! There are different kind of ”coros, desfiles, conciertos, eventos..” and much more.
Did you start packing already for ”el Carnaval”?
How to get there
As we said, Cadiz is not far from Malaga, but you should for sure plan your trip in advance in order to get there in time:
Ir en coche: Cadiz is 2 hours and a half from Malaga by car. We suggest you not to park your car in the street. There are secured garages around the center where you can safely park your car.
Ir en autobús o tren: Secure your trip! Check in advance the time schedule and reserve your spot since Carnival is hugely popular. Here you have some useful sentences in case you need to ask for something ( Usa las expresiones que has aprendido cómo -Dónde está el bús/la estación? -A qué hora pasa el bús/tren? -Dónde está la parada del bús? -Cuando pasa el último tren/bús? )
Ir con un tour organizado: Many agencies in Malaga organize trips to go to the Carnival. They usually go on Saturdays so you have the real Carnival experience.
¿Ya empiezas a estar listo?
Last advice before the Carnival starts!
Firsts things first! Get there with a costume! It’s obviously not mandatory, but highly recommended to get into the right Carnival spirit. El disfraz is the best part of the Carnival! Don’t forget to learn the Spanish word for your disfraz if you don’t want to disappoint your amigos españoles. Here we have some great idea´s for you: ¿Qué tal un disfraz de pirata? ¿O porqé no ser una hermosa reina? Si te gusta bailar.. ¡transformate en una bailaora de flamenco! ¿Quieres transmitir felicidad? ¡Un disfraz de payaso es lo que buscas! And there are many more.. Sólo no te olvides de aprender la palabra corecta
Our second advice is not to bring many things with you: If you are there to have fun for Carnival you are probably going to stay there until late. So the best thing is, to get dressed comfortably and don’t bring big bags. Take also something with you against the frío. You want to stay warm outside!
Last thing we can do, is to offer you the essential vocabulary about Carnival
Check our carnival vocabulary quiz, and be ready for Carnival 2020!
¡Estamos seguros que vas a difrutar mucho!
