QUICK TAKES

Carnival Is Heading Our Way, Get Ready

By Will Irvine

Grab your swimsuit, rev up your car and hit the road.  Carnival is on the way.  This fantastic Panamanian party is from the 13th until the 16th of February.  All government offices and banks are closed as well as many offices in varying schedules so if you had business to transact you need to check the schedules.  The best Carnivals are traditionally in the interior of the country.  You will hear Las Tablas mentioned quite often and if its your first Panamanian Carnival then you have got to give it try.  

Las Tablas is the capital if the Los Santos Province and is most often known for its Carnivals and for keeping alive folklore and traditions. It is a very small town of approximately 25,000 residents.  Generally no fees are collected for going to Carnivals. It basically consists of culecos which are the morning and early afternoon activities involving lots of loud music, water tanks circling the park spraying people with water and floats carrying the two queens of Las Tablas in amazing costumes.   In the evenings there are dances which do carry a fee to get in and in the park there is again a parade with the queens this time in evening costumes which are even more spectacular than the morning ones. There is music and tons of fireworks and a whole lot of liquor.

Generally the income the town gains from Carnival is indirect from the rentals, Municipal taxes, and others but this time there will be an entry fee of 50 cents to get into the culecos and 50 cents to get into the evening activities.  It is also a great opportunity to take the time to visit the small quaint towns around Las Tablas like Santo Domingo where they make the most beautiful polleras (Panama's typical dress).

Penonome is also another very popular destination for Carnival.  It is the capital of Cocle and the Carnival here is a little less full and it is of a different bent.  Penonome is known for its aquatic Carnivals. There is a large, natural swimming hole in Penonome called Balneario Las Mendozas in the Zaratí River.  Traditionally the floats for the parade literally float as it is held on river Zaratí and they travel down the river.  

The Carnival in Penonome takes place both in the river and in the Central Avenue of town where culecos and dances take place.  The week before Carnival there is a mini Carnival for children in Penonome.  The actual Carnival kicks off on the 12th of February and on Saturday is the float parade, then on Sunday is the typical parade in the Central Avenue, then on Monday its costume day and finally on Tuesday it is gala day with luxury outfits and rolling floats.  

Carnival is for everyone.  Some people go have fun and get drunk others just take the time off to visit family in the interior and rest.  Many people go to the beach both in the Pacific and the Atlantic.    Just be advised that reservations will be difficult to obtain and traffic on the first and last day will be very heavy on the highway.  Anyways it is still a wonderful way to get to know another side of Panama.

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