Almería Carnival

Almería's Carnival has old roots: the city archive holds proclamations and documents about the celebration from 1815 and 1926. Its current phase began in the 1980s, when the street celebration was revived and an official poster started to be issued every year, with examples kept from 1983 onwards.

Today it is organised by the Almería Municipal Carnival Federation (FEMACA) together with the City Council's Culture and Traditions department. Its core is the competition of singing groups, with chirigotas, comparsas and parodies from the city and other towns, held at the Auditorio Municipal Maestro Padilla.

After the final comes the street carnival, with a children's party, a food festival, the proclamation speech, the night parade and, to close, the Burial of the Sardine. Each year has its own Dios Momo, who presents the events.

The singing-group competition takes place at the Auditorio Municipal Maestro Padilla. The street carnival centres on the Mirador de la Rambla, where a stage and marquee are set up, and the night parade starts from the Rambla Amphitheatre. The Burial of the Sardine ends with the burning in the Parque de las Almadrabillas, by the sea.

The highlight is the songs of the competition: the chirigotas, full of humour and jokes about local events; the more lyrical comparsas; and the parodies. The final goes on late into the night and is broadcast on municipal television.

On the streets there are costumes, confetti battles, batucada drumming and performances by the groups. On the last day the sardine's will is read out before it is burned, and the farewell comes with a migá, with plates of migas for everyone.