Spanish Carnaval for Beginners

Carnaval is semi-equivalent to Mardi Gras in the U.S., but on a bigger scale. It’s a popular party in the rest of the world, especially in Europe. Spanish Carnaval is one of the most popular parties in Europe, and it’s something you may want to plan around when traveling abroad. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a Carnaval beginner, so I’ll start from square one.

What is Carnaval?

Carnaval (or Carnival in Brazil, Carnavale in Italy, etc.) is a wild two-week party, festival, and parade that Christians celebrate before Lent. It typically occurs the first or second two weeks in February, but occasionally occurs in March. The festivals run all day and night, mainly on the weekends. The first weekend of Spanish Carnaval is a big celebration in popular cities like Cadiz and Gran Canaria. The second weekend is usually reserved for local celebrations in the villages.

< Carnaval in Cadiz > — Carnaval in Cadiz

It’s common for everyone to dress in costume for Carnaval. It’s more than the typical skimpy feather dresses and masks us Americans think of when we think Carnaval; costumes can be anything you want and rival our version of Halloween. In fact, many of the costumes at Carnaval were so elaborate and original, I tried to recreate them for Halloween only to realize I needed more time to perfect them! Whether you’re 7 or 70, every Spanish person dresses in costume for Spanish Carnaval.

Spanish Carnaval: Cadiz

< Carnaval Costumes > — It’s hard to get a group selfie at Carnaval!

I was lucky enough to attend the big celebration in Cadiz in 2015, although being a newbie, I planned poorly. It was the weekend of Valentine’s Day so my boyfriend and I had planned a romantic weekend, which somehow turned into driving to Cadiz to see what Carnaval was all about. We had no costumes and didn’t plan on staying, we just wanted to see the action. We met up with fellow auxiliares Kim-Ling and Guy of travel-ling.com and Liz and Jake from Osuna, who had rented an Airbnb for the weekend. Luckily, they had extra props we borrowed for our costumes and a quick trip to the chinos got us the rest of our costumes.

< Political singing group > — A calm, daytime politically satirical singing group

We saw parades, satirical singing groups, elaborate costumes, Spanish singers performing in concert, and squares packed full of the craziest costumes you could ever imagine. On Saturday, buses brought people from small villages all over Andalucia at 7:00 p.m. for an overnight party of debauchery and sleeplessness, leaving at 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning to take them home. On Sunday, buses brought the people who wanted to see the parades and family fun for a daytime tour of Carnaval in Cadiz.

< Daytime carnaval > — Daytime Carnaval in Cadiz

Spanish Carnaval: the Pueblos

< Carnaval in Olvera > — All of the teachers at Carnaval in Olvera

The second weekend of Spanish Carnaval in the villages is calmer, but not by much. Olvera set up a big tent and hired a DJ and bartenders to create a pop-up dance club. Everyone was invited, so I saw plenty of my students dressed up in costume. Even the teachers all made an appearance for the big Carnaval outing! It was great fun although a little cold. We all scrambled at the last minute for costumes, but luckily the wonderful store owners made special trips all the way to Sevilla to pick up the costumes we wanted!

< Roman goddess and warrior > — Roman goddess and warrior

The following day in Olvera, there was a parade. Just about everyone in town was in the parade, but the few leftovers who weren’t (like me and James) came to watch. The people of Olvera were so clever with their homemade costumes! I really enjoyed the parade and Carnaval and am so glad I got to experience it as I did!

< Floats > — Tractors dressed up as floats

< My students in the parade > — My students were popcorn in the parade

Variations on Carnaval

The only thing I wish I had gotten to do that I didn’t was to see Carnaval in Gran Canaria. Supposedly the #1 place to party for Carnaval in Spain, the biggest of the Canary Islands hosts a traditional skimpy feather dress parade with masks that we’ve come to expect from Carnaval. The Gran Canaria party is on par with Carnival in Brazil and Carnavale in Venice. HOWEVER: If you ever get the chance to visit Spain during the pre-Lent season, definitely add Cadiz to your list for a great sense of culture and excitement, Spanish-style!