They hardly have any of their own things. Except for the Fiesta de los Indianos, which Santa Cruz de La Palma managed to veto, the rest of what the Las Palmas carnival has is imported from Maspalomas and the Gala de la Reina from Tenerife. The state of the celebration is so pathetic that the cleaning subcontractors have more power than the neighbours to the point that there is no nightlife at all: they are no longer those crowds of hundreds of thousands of people but parties with some high-stakes singers and others who are less well off.
The official statement from the Canary Islands Government states that the Maspalomas Carnival represents "an artistic offering full of daring avant-garde imagination in keeping with our times, which is projected as a distinctive sign of identity for all the Canary Islands (...) and the entire world as a festive, transgressive and fun carnival." This catalogue includes events such as the Drag Queen Gala that Las Palmas has made its own when it belongs to Maspalomas.
The Maspalomas International Carnival in Gran Canaria, which will take place from 18 to 30 March, attracts more than 400.000 visitors every year and reaches an average audience of 2,5 million spectators. The Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, has signed the order declaring the Maspalomas International Carnival a Festival of Tourist Interest in the Canary Islands, stating that "it meets the essential requirements for this distinction by being a manifestation of the cultural heritage of the archipelago, as well as a tourist attraction that decisively contributes to shaping the tourist image of the Canary Islands and its promotion."
The official order states that the Maspalomas International Carnival, which will take place this year from March 18 to 30, began to be celebrated in 1974 as the 'Winter Festival', and in 1980 it was renamed 'Carnival of Maspalomas' and since 2005 'International Carnival of Maspalomas'. It is an annual popular festival that has evolved in line with the development of our own Canarian history, marked by the local status as a tourist municipality.
