Águilas Carnaval 2012

Whats on Águilas, Águilas Carnival 2012

Águilas is justifiably the most famous Carnival in the region, renowned for its flamboyant costumes and acres of feathers and glitz.

The parades are the biggest, and longest and the best floats from other cities will come along to join in with the last big procession, so if you only want to go and see one carnival parade in the region, make it the last one in Águilas and you won´t be disappointed.

Because the parades are so long, we´re talking 2-3 hours long, seats are sold in the specially constructed stands which line the streets for the main parade. Although these are sold in advance by the peñas, there were plenty of seats still available on the nights we attended and you can pay on the night, although if you have a health issue and need to sit, it´s worth making sure of seats in advance.

There are plenty of places to stand and watch the parade go by, particularly near the start point, and carnival veterans in the know bring a chair, a blanket for their knees and a hot flask, although there are plenty of cafes open behind the parade route to purchase a warming cup of coffee and a cognac should the night air prove a little nippy.
Last year it rained a couple of times, and although the show went on, those who had fold up raincoats in their handbags and umbrellas fared considerably better than those who didn´t.

As well as the carnival parades there are a number of other activities, particularly in Águilas with the famous battle between Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma, the Batalla de Cascarones, the battle of the eggs, the paper costume competition and la cuerva, the famous drink of Águilas carnival.

Read on....Carnaval in Águilas 2012

Don Carnal( see article about Don Carnal) is much in evidence at this carnival, with the famous  battle of the eggshells taking place, in which supporters of both sides throw confetti filled eggshells, Cascarones, at each other. For months leading up to the carnival, eggs are blown rather than broken, the shells carefully dried and stored until a few days before the festivities begin, when the older family members and children fill them with confetti, sealing the ends with tissue paper, stuck down using a mixture of flour and water.

Although regularly broken onto the heads of passers-by during the fiestas, thousands of them are broken during the Batalla de Cascarones between Don Carnal and Dona Cuaresma.  

Buying Tickets for Águilas Carnaval

All parades follow an itinery of Avenida Juan Carlos I, Rey Carlos III and the port.
Click for map, Avenida Juan Carlos I
Buying seats for the Carnival

Seats may be purchased in advance from the Carnival Peña. Although you dont have to buy a seat, it is a very long procession and it´s good to be able to sit! Tickets are on sale in Calle Rey Carlos III ( next to the tobacconist) between 5 and 8pm in the evening, Monday-Saturday or on the day of the parades between 10 and 1pm.The seats sold are in Avenida Juan Carlos 1.

Normally there are plenty of seats on the smaller parades, but the big ones do tend to sell out.
If you are a group and need a larger number of seats, contact the federation of peñas, Sr Ángel on 629 494 669. ( Spanish speaking only.)

A 4 day pass for all parades: 1st two rows 25 euros, 3rd and 4th rows, 20 euros.
 Individual days Sunday, Tuesday,  Saturday: 1st and 2nd rows, 15 euros, 3rd and 4th rows, 12 euros.
Monday , 5 euros.  
To contact the tourist office if you need accommodation or for further info, call 968 49 32 85
Parking advice. The main drive in to central Águilas is sealed off by police. Last year we discovered that by turning right alongside the rambla, there was plenty of parking along the edge of and in the rambla. Although technically it is illegal to park in the rambla, everyone does, but if you´re worried, you´ll find plenty of parking along the roadside and it´s about a 5 minute walk to the main parade route.


Carnival Schedule:
Sunday 12th February
9pm.Paper costume competition.
 In the Pabellón "Agustín Muñoz" of the Polideportivo municipal the paper costume competition takes place at 9pm. This is really quite incredible, and you´ll be astonished by just how beautiful and detailed some of these costumes are. The costumes are paraded in the main parades and it´s difficult to see that they´re made of paper´. The costumes are all sponsored by different commercial firms.
Polideportivo Municipa Avda. Vicenta Ruano s/n - 30880 Águilas l,  Click Polideportivo Municipal, Aguilas


Thursday 16th February
XIV Suelta de la Mussona
10.30pm. Procession of the Mussona, from the Explanada of the Castle to the Plaza de Espana.
Estimated time of arrival at the Plaza de Espana is around 11.45pm.

12 Midnight, Traca ( big noisy firecracker) and celebrations to begin the carnival.

The Mussona is a figure which represents the dual nature of man, as both something wild, the beast within and man seen from outside, a way of expressing the battle between order and chaos, which is what carnival is essentially about.
This figure is dressed in a combination of burlap and esparto, and makes its way down from the castle with its followers, through the winding streets, its arrival signifying the beginning of the carnival. Following an initial welcome a big firework display starts the festivities in earnest and the booths selling drinks open for the duration.

 Friday 17th February
8.15pm. Result of the weighing of the personages. Sounds an odd thing, but the main protagonists of the Carnaval have been weighed and are presented with their weight in fresh food products, to be distributed as they see fit.

Following this, the XXIV Concurso nacional de Cuerva.

 One little tradition you may like to sample is that of La Cuerva.
La Cuerva is a special drink is consumed throughout the carnival, composed of various ingredients with a fruit juice base and various liquors mixed in, a little like our punch and which endows carnival goers with a sense of merriment. On Friday 17th, in the evening a competition is held to find the best Cuerva in town. Departure of the judges, Federation of the peñas at 8pm.

100 judges roam the various establishments to find the best Cuerva of all, an honour which is greatly coveted by the establishment selected. The judges, meanwhile,  wake up around 3 days later and realise theyve missed the rest of the carnival.
8pm The childrens Mussona leaves the Colegio Urci at 8pm
From 9.30pm In the Plaza de Espana the formal welcome speeches for the childrens carnival take place,followed by the childrens battle of the eggshells in which supporters of Don Carnal and Dona Cuaresma pelt each other with confetti filled Cascarones.(eggs)

Saturday 18th February
10pm, Plaza de Espana. Opening speeches and official adult carnival begins with speeches by the mayor and guest celebrity, followed by battle of confetti eggs between adult supporters of Don Carnal and Dona Cuaresma

Sunday 19th February  6pm.First grand parade of the carnival with floats and carriages.
Avenida Juan Carlos I and Calle Rey Carlos III


Monday 20th February,  6pm. Second parade, this one smaller, with a competition for the choreographed dancers.
Avenida Juan Carlos I and Calle Rey Carlos III
From Midnight, Carnaval de Noche in the Plaza de España.

Tuesday 21st February 5pm,  3rd Grand parade with floats and carriages(again, slightly smaller than the main ones)

 Friday 24th February
VII Drag Queen competition and IV Body Make-up competitions
Taking place in the Sala Gran Liriana in the Explanada of the Port at 10pm.

Saturday 25th February  5pm. 4th Parade, the big one, with the main competition for the floats taking place during this last parade.
This is a big parade, with floats coming from all over the country to take part.
Following the parade, Don Carnal is seized whilst in the Plaza de Espana, and taken down to Poniente beach where he is executed in grand style on the bonfire, well, an effigy is, followed by an enormous carnival fireworks display to end  the celebrations.