Sorangel Matos Arce, queen of Panama
City's 2006 Carnivals. |
Panama
City's Avenida Balboa, the sea-front avenue spanning from the Old
Quarter to the luxurious Paitilla neighborhood, will be the center
of all Carnival activities in the capital this year –a big change
from the decades-old tradition of using Vía España,
in the heart of the hotel district, for the annual, four-day pre-Lenten
festivities. Carnival is scheduled February 25-28.
According
to Mingthoy Giro, president of the Panama City Carnival Board, the
decision will provide better access and more security for the public.
Another important change is the establishment of what Mrs. Giro calls
a "culecódromo" (in Panamanian parlance, "culecos"
are outdoor parties in which participants jump and dance as they are
doused by water trucks. Thus, "a culecódromo" is
a venue especially designed for such activity) allowing all activities
to take place in a single location. The "jumping, wetting and
dancing" will take place between 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., followed
by day-time parades presided by "Her Majesty" Sorangel Matos
Arce and her court of beautiful princesses. The parade, contrary to
years past, will take place during daylight hours, for the enjoyment
of people of all ages.
A string
of famous Panamanian and international singers and DJs, mainly tropical
music stars, are listed to offer concerts during Carnival, including
Eddie Herrera, Gilberto Santarosa, Olga Tañon, Kriz y Angel,
Nikki Jam, Comando Tiburón Los Rabanes, Os Almirantes, Iván
Barrios, Erika Ender , and La K'shamba Capitán Ponche. These
concerts will be held at night time, until 11:00 p.m., although party
lovers may continue dancing on the streets until the small hours.
A number
of international TV and cable networks will cover the event, including
Univisión, TV Novelas, Canal de las Estrellas as well as a
gruop of Venezuelan TV stations.
Carnival
in Panama City reflects the Caribbean, tropical heritage of its people
–contrasting with the folklore nature of the festivity in the
interior provinces. Although thousands of Panamanian party enthusiasts
leave the city for Carnival "hot spots" like Las Tablas,
Chitré or Penonomé, not a few stay in town to enjoy
the fiesta, which ends on Ash Wednesday with a strange ceremony known
as the "Burial of the Sardine", in which thousands flock
to the beaches to say "good bye" to earthly pleasures in
preparation for Lent.
