Ponce Carnival or Carnaval Ponceño 2023- Feb 16-Feb 21
Confirmed 2023 Carnaval Feb 16- Feb 21st!
The Ponce Carnival (Carnaval de Ponce or Carnaval Ponceño, in Spanish) is an annual week-long celebration. There are parades with wildly decorated floats, crazy costumed people, lots of music, loads of spectators, and merriment.
Similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, it is derived from the old world tradition of a final celebration before the beginning of Lent. But over time, it has transformed into a week-long party!
If you want to party Puerto Rican style, mark your calendars — The 165 th Ponce Carnival will be Feb .
A Normal Year
Normally, the Ponce Carnival is full of loud and colorful parades, with marching bands, with dancers and floats. The parades are similar to those held around the island throughout the year at other town festivals or Carnivals — but on steroids!
Central to the festivities in Ponce are the vejigantes — masked, colorfully-dressed, clown-like characters, wearing paper mâché masks with scary teeth & horns — dancing and strutting to bomba and plena music. They may swat bystanders with soft balloons (supposedly to chase away the evil spirits) as they go by.
2022 This Year (awaiting 2023 info)
Again this year they will make a Rolling Carnaval…parades and caravans going through different communities of Ponce.
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There will be lots of bomba and plena music, and many of the interactive, chanting songs. Before and after the parades, there will be other live music at stages throughout the evenings.
Schedule and route 2023 – This will be updated when they post info
- Saturday,
- Sunday, Parade day!
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- Monday,
- Tuesday, Burial of the Sardine
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You can get more information by calling the Ponce Carnival coordinator at 787-841-8044 ext 2245. Or try the Ponce Cultural Office: 787- 284-4141 ext. 2249.
Assume that the schedule is subject to change with little or no warning. Schedule source:
PuertoRicoDayTrips.com assumes no responsibility regarding your safety when participating in the activities described in this article. Please use common sense! If your mother or that little voice in your head tells you that you are about to do something stupid âĻ then don't do it!
