Cádiz Carnival

In Cádiz the carnival is a singing contest. Before anyone puts on a costume in the street, the groups have been competing for weeks at the Gran Teatro Falla in the COAC, the Concurso Oficial de Agrupaciones Carnavalescas. The categories have names that are hard to translate: chirigotas, comparsas, coros and cuartetos. The common thread is satire.

The 2027 contest follows a fixed ladder, according to the council's announcement. The adult preliminaries run from 8 to 21 January, the quarterfinals from 24 to 29 January and the semifinals from 1 to 3 February. The romanceros final is on 4 February and the Gran Final on Friday 5 February at the Gran Teatro Falla. Tickets are paid, and they sell out quickly.

Then the carnival goes into the street, and it is free. In 2027 it is listed for about 4 to 14 February. People dress up, often in matching group costumes planned months before, and the old town and Barrio La Viña are the centre of it. Expect crowds and late nights, and bring layers, because the evenings are cold and windy.

How to go. Cádiz can be reached by train from Seville, and cars are impractical on the big days. Rooms in the historic centre sell out two to four months ahead, and midweek is calmer than the weekends. If you do not speak Spanish you will miss much of the humour, but the atmosphere needs no translation. Check the council's programme for the final street dates, since the date range is not yet official.