The Carnival celebrations in Santiago de la Ribera, in the municipality of San Javier, are among the noisiest and most colourful in the Region of Murcia to celebrate the beginning of Lent, and this year the fiestas culminate in the Grand Parade on Sunday 1st March.
This is traditionally the last main Carnival parade in the Region, and the aim is to attract as many peñas (Carnival troupes) as possible from other areas for one last chance to wave the feather boa before Lent begins and brings with it, at least in theory, 40 days of abstinence. Taking place in the afternoon rather than the evening, the parade is always hugely popular among expats and visitors to the municipality as well as those who live in San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera, and photographers also relish the chance to photograph the revellers in the sunlight of the Mar Menor rather than in darkness!
The parade begins at 16.00, an hour after the participating peñas gather to prepare, and starts by the seafront before heading towards the aviation roundabout. If coming from outside Santiago de la Ribera, be sure to arrive in plenty of time to park and walk to the Carnival route!
Click here for the full Carnival program in Santiago de la Ribera during the week leading up to 1st March, or for more local news, events and other information about San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera visit the the San Javier section of Murcia Today.
Join the Mar Menor group on Facebook for info about Los Alcázares, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar, Torre Pacheco, La Unión and Cartagena and keep up to date with all the latest news and events in the Mar Menor: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarMenorNewsAndEvents/
