Santiago de Compostela Carnival
During the annual Santiago de Compostela Carnival, the city is transformed into a topsy-turvy world of satirical fancy dress, colourful parades and indulgent food to celebrate the last few days of liberation before Lent.
On the Shrove Tuesday of Santiago de Compostela Carnival there is a Mardi Gras parade featuring floats, music bands in traditional Galician dress and fancy dress costumes. The carnival route starts outside the train station, leads onto the Romero de Onallo through to the Praza do Galicia and draws to an end shortly after Santiago de Chile, after passing through many of the city's beautiful granite-lined streets and squares.
Shortly after, in true carnival style, a crowd gathers at the Praza do Toural to hear carnival verse that makes a mockery of the year's events and the local characters (remember the address is in Galician - but who said laughter isn't infectious!). Other highlights of the day include a children's carnival parade, the burning of the king of Santiago de Compostela Carnival in Praza Roxa (Plaza Roja) and prizes for various contests.
To mark the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, the locals burn Meco, a figure that represents Santiago de Compostela Carnival and also a topical social or political issue. The Meco is accompanied to its incineration by a parade of carnival mourners dressed in black.
| Town Information: | Santiago de Compostela |
|---|---|
| Full Name: |
| Name: | Santiago de Compostela Tourist Office |
|---|---|
| Location: | Santiago de Compostela |
| Address: | Oficina Compostela 2000, Rúa del Villar, 63, 15705 Santiago, Spain |
| Email: | info@santiagoturismo.com |
| Phone: | +34 981 55 51 29 |
| Name: | Spanish National Tourist Office |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036 |
| Fax: | +34 913 43 35 00 |
| Name: | Spanish National Tourist Office (TourSpain) |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036 |
| Phone: | +34 913 43 35 00 or UK: +44 (0) 20 7486 8077 |
| Name: | Spanish Tourist Board (London) |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | PO Box 4009, London, W1A 6NB |
| Email: | info.londres@tourspain.es |
| Phone: | +44 (0) 20 7486 8077 |
| Fax: | +44 (0) 20 7486 8034 |
