Carnival 2024 said goodbye with the burning of the Sardine on Las Canteras beach, where more than 25,000 people accompanied the fish to its marine funeral. But before the flames consumed the symbol of the festival, the theme that will animate the next Carnival in 2025 was revealed: The Olympics. This allegory was the most voted for by citizens through a telematic system, among three other options: History, Environment and Space.
The Queen of Carnival, Katia Gutiérrez Thime; the Drag Queen, Elektra; the Childhood Queen, Liah Guardia Suárez; and the Grand Lady, Eva Costa Santiago, were in charge of announcing the winning song, which will be the common thread of next year’s festivities. The name of the crier who will inaugurate the Olympic Carnival was also announced: Orlando Jiménez, president of the Los Nietos de Kika Afilarmónica, one of the oldest and most emblematic groups of the Carnival.
An Olympic Carnival
According to the City Council’s statement, the 2025 Olympic Carnival will be a universal and cosmopolitan festival, which will connect with the tradition of the ancient Olympic Games of classical Greece and with its modern revival in 1896, promoted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. The Olympic spirit, based on respect, friendship and excellence, will be the motto of celebrations that will bring together representatives of various cultures under universal Olympic values.
The costume will be a key element to express the diversity and creativity of the masks, which can be inspired by any sporting discipline, both summer and winter, or by the most famous athletes in history. They can also recreate the style of the ancient Greeks, with their togas, laurel wreaths and discus throwers. The possibilities are endless for the fantasy designers who will compete for the festival crowns and for the Carnival groups, who will give color and rhythm to the streets of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. An Olympic Carnival is the ideal setting for festivities that have an international dimension, that have always been golden and that have not stopped making nods and references to sport.
Orlando Jimenez
The Olympic Carnival will also have a luxury town crier: Orlando Jiménez, the president of the historic Nietos de Kika, who have been making the public laugh and reflect for almost half a century with their satirical lyrics and clown costume. Jiménez is one of the founders of the Afilarmónica, which was born in Arucas and which became the first Carnival murga, along with Los niños de Caín, after the dictatorship. Their career is linked to the recovery and development of Carnival in the capital of Gran Canaria, where they have won numerous awards and recognitions, such as the Gold Medal of the Government of the Canary Islands in 2023, a gold record and even a performance with Tina Turner. in Madrid, in 1987.
Jiménez is much more than a murguero, he is a cultural and social reference, who has been at the head of the Tomás Pérez González Foundation for Art and Culture, dedicated to the memory of his partner and friend, the deceased Tomás Pérez, whom The current murgas contest dedicates a prize to the quality of the lyrics. Los Nietos de Kika, who dissolved in 2003 and returned in 2006, have chosen not to participate in the contest anymore, and to maintain a differentiated position as murga, faithful to their style and family spirit. Their presence and commitment to the festivities have turned them into a true carnival icon, which next year will have the honor of kicking off the Olympic Carnival.
