The Canary Islands Economic and Administrative Court has ruled that bureaucracy should prevail when it comes to an event production company managing the Carnival in southern Gran Canaria.
This is because the real party took place... in the City Hall offices. Yes, you read that right: €420.560,74 was being tossed from one envelope to another while the carnival-goers watched more screens than the stage.
The 2024 Carnival was divided into two sections: one for the gala at the Darío Jaén Public Diversity Plaza, from March 7 to 17, and another for the crowds, parades, sardine rescue, and other massive events that will make even the most experienced performers sweat.
Three companies entered the fray: Option Productions SL, the joint venture "Maspalomas Events"—still in development and formed by Interdance Production, Asesoría Pirez.com, and Luis Pírez Báez—and Out Now Events AIE. The joint venture Maspalomas Events presented itself as a television heroine: galas, videos, parades, and daily press conferences. Even an influencer was ready to tweet every confetti. The problem: the technicians said, "Yes, it's cool, but there's no control" and awarded it 25 points out of 49.
Lot two wasn't a walk in the park either: cavalcades, parades, crowds, and DJs (but no crazy electronic music, mind you) were left to generic equipment and zero control mechanisms. Result: 19 points.
Meanwhile, the automatic economy and quality figures were the icing on the cake: on February 1, the Contracting Board crowned Option Productions SL the winner. Decrees 568/2024 and 569/2024 were in hand, the decrees were published, and notification of batch one arrived on February 15. Batch two, like a clueless sardine on Meloneras Boulevard, continued its administrative path.
Interdance SL didn't stay put: it filed an appeal, arguing that its galas were detailed, that the artists were real, and that each opening had a clear synopsis, audience, and objective. The court listened, applauded the good faith, and said: "Okay, that's all correct, but the maximum score doesn't exceed Option Productions." The drama is over; the Carnival remains in the hands of the same people.
So now you know, at Maspalomas 2024, the real choreography isn't on stage: it's among Excel spreadsheets, decrees, and priced confetti. And if you're wondering who dances more: the audience or the officials... spoiler: sometimes bureaucracy wins.
