Candelaria Murgas Gathering Marks 20 Years of Carnival Satire
The 20th Candelaria Murgas Gathering, a key event in the Canary Islands Carnival, showcased top murga groups from across the islands, followed by a vibrant parade and a concert by Óscar D’León.
The Candelaria Murgas Gathering recently celebrated its 20th year, confirming its place as a key event in the Canary Islands Carnival calendar. This yearly event not only features the best groups from across the islands but also showcases the important role of murgas. These groups use humor and satire to comment on society and politics, a tradition deeply embedded in Canarian culture. This year, the gathering brought together the top-prize winners for performance from Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, truly showing how lively this art form is, using cleverness and irony to offer sharp insights into current affairs.
Friday evening kicked off with Diablos Locos, a murga group connected to Candelaria itself. Next, the groups that won third prize for Performance took the stage. Chacho Tú, a group of ninety members from the Schamann neighborhood in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, performed their songs "Una murga con prospecto" (A Murga with a Leaflet) and "Agentes de seguro" (Insurance Agents). Then came Los Tiralenguas from Icod de los Vinos, led by Osel Martín. They presented "Las etiquetas" (The Labels) and "Los Magos del Norte" (The Wizards of the North), with the latter receiving strong applause from the crowd.
The second-prize winners started with Los Nietos de Mary Sánchez from Telde. This group also secured third prize for Costume at this year's Gran Canarian carnival. They performed "La Cueva" (The Cave) and "Los Perderos" (The Losers). During their act, the group unrolled a banner showing the emblems of Gran Canaria's murgas, a symbolic gesture of unity between the islands. After them, Los Bambones, led by Primi Rodríguez, performed "Cuestión de suerte" (A Matter of Luck), which won the Criticón Award, and "La Gran Armada" (The Great Armada).
As midnight approached, it was time for the first-prize winners. Los Legañosos, from El Carrizal and directed by David Zamora, performed "La última carroza" (The Last Float) and "La murga airobic" (The Aerobic Murga), blending entertainment with a social message. The 20th Gathering concluded with Los Trapaseros from Los Realejos, led by David Zurita. They performed "Limitados" (Limited) and "Lo imposible" (The Impossible), cementing their role in the critical commentary of the Tenerife Carnival in recent years.
Beyond the murga performances, Candelaria's Carnival weekend also featured a vibrant parade on Saturday afternoon. Over forty carnival groups and collectives took part in the parade, which wound its way along Avenida Marítima de Punta Larga to the area near the Town Hall. The procession kicked off with the Tropicana Children's Comparsa, with other groups joining along the route. These included Rumbera Ultraperiférica with the Zona Joven Group, the Antón Guanche Senior Group, and the Archaco Senior Batucada. Comparsas such as Tropicana, Batucada Almagec, Bella Mariana, Bahía Bahitiare, Los Valleiros, K'nadum, and Los Rumberos displayed their dance routines. Meanwhile, children's murgas like Los Redoblones, Triquis, Las Redoblonas, and Triqui Traques added their distinctive rhythm.
Saturday's festivities wrapped up with a concert by Óscar D’León. The stage was set up in the town hall car park because of ongoing construction work in Basilica square.