Los Cariocas Win Manuel Monzón Contest at Tenerife Carnival

The Los Cariocas group has won first prize in the "Manuel Monzón" Rhythm and Harmony Contest. This is one of the most important events at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, famous even beyond the island.

The competition, held on Francisco La Roche and Marítima avenues, featured ten groups. Their performances truly showed the lively spirit of Santa Cruz.

Los Cariocas' win highlights the hard work and deep cultural traditions of these groups, which are key to the Carnival's global fame. Tropicana came in second, and Los Joroperos took third place. Los Valleiros received the runner-up prize, and Río Orinoco won the Banner award, showing the wide range and high quality of all the entries.

Thousands of people watched the parade from sidewalks, terraces, and special viewing areas along Plaza de España and Francisco La Roche Avenue (also called Anaga Avenue). The event was widely covered by the media. RTVC and RTVE broadcast it across the region, nation, and internationally, with journalists Laura Afonso and Roberto Herrera providing commentary.

Besides adult groups like Los Cariocas and Cumbacheros, children's groups such as Joroperos Infantil and Tropicana Infantil also took part. The 2026 Carnival Queen, her Court of Honor, and other beauty pageant contestants also joined in, making the show even more spectacular.

During the celebrations, prizes were also given out for the Floats and Decorated Cars Contest, which had paraded the previous Friday. In the Floats category, "Jardinero alado y la memoria de la florofila" won first place. "What Happens at Carnival Stays at Carnival" was second, "El Merengazo" third, and "Carnival Paradise" fourth. For Decorated Cars, "Las Canchanchanas 2.0" won the top prize. "La Mercedita" was second, "La Purpurina" third, and "Las 300 y pico" received a fourth prize.