Hey, folks, listen up: It’s party time! Carnaval is on the way, and the dates for 2006 are Feb. 23-28. You’ll know for sure that the festivities are near when you see the manigotes (mah-nee-GOH-tays) or giant whimsical figures expressing this year’s theme, “Spirits of Wind and Sea.” These colorful oversized mannequins will be posted at intervals along Avenida del Mar and in the Plazuela Machado as a not-so-subtle reminder of the fun to come. The whole town has been gearing up for its annual pre-Lenten spree since last fall. In fact, a popular saying has it that Mazatlán lives from Carnaval to Carnaval. That’s because Carnaval in this city is a tradition going back more than 100 years. By now, there isn’t a generation of locals that hasn’t experienced this civic fiesta from earliest childhood. And with each passing year, the party seems to grow bigger and better. It’s even said that Carnaval Mazatlán has become the third largest such event in the world, after Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans. One thing is certain: Young or old, married or single, no matter your tastes, there is something for everyone at Carnaval. No group or interest is left out of the mix of events. For going-on 80 or more years of its long history, Carnaval Mazatlán has been associated with the arts. There are Carnaval-sponsored national competitions for poets and for writers, and most recently, for promising Sinaloa painters who aspire to win prizes and recognition for their work. The best of the entrants, along with the winners, go on exhibit at the Mazatlán Art Museum during Carnaval season. The winning novelist receives his or her prize at an Evening of the Arts in the Angela Peralta Theater. But by long-standing tradition the winner of the Clemencia Isaura Prize for Poetry receives a single flower from the Queen of the Juegos Florales at the arts-oriented pageant of the same name on the Friday night of Carnaval. This year Enrique Patron de Rueda, Mazatlán native who directs the opera orchestra at Bellas Artes in Mexico City, will come home to conduct the Sinaloa Symphony Orchestra and noted singer Maria del Sol in an evening of classical and semi-classical music. Coronation pageants are also an excuse to bring well-known (at least in Mexico) name personalities and attractions to Mazatlán. The coronation of Queen of Carnaval regularly features a show by a topnotch recording artist. And to emphasize the family side of Carnaval, the crowning of the Child Queen is always accompanied by a show featuring a star or a group with appeal for the bubblegum set. Also family-oriented are the parades on the Sunday and Tuesday of Carnaval, which this year will have 12 sub-themes on the overall “Wind and Sea” motif. These ideas will be carried out by nearly three dozen fanciful floats, interspersed with marching ban-ds and comparsas (whimsically costumed marching units) who compete to see who can best animate the parade spectators. Individuals as well as family groups may enjoy heading for Sam’s Club parking lot, where a real carnival with rides and concessions will be

operating from about a week before the dates of Carnaval actually begin and wrap up after the fiesta ends. There’s also a gourmet food fair at the Plazuela Machado starting Feb. 23, a spectacular ship-to-shore battle fought in fireworks on Feb. 25, and a street dance nearly a kilometer long operating every night of Carnaval along Olas Altas. For a complete list of events, please see the accompanying calendar. You might as well plan on getting into the spirit of the wind and the sea along with everybody else, for schools will close and very little serious commerce will be carried on during Carnaval Mazatlán. The town’s going to be far too busy just having a good time. (As the Pacific Pearl went to press, the details on tickets for the pageants which will be held in the Teodoro Mariscal Baseball Stadium had yet to be confirmed. You can check for updates on the Carnaval website: www.carnavalmazatlan.com.mx YOUR 2006 CARNAVAL CALENDAR Feb. 3: Carnaval prelude mini-parade Place: from the Bosque de la Ciudad to City Hall Time: Starting at 4:00pm Feb. 8: Winner of Mazatlán Prize for Literature announced Place: Institute for Culture, Tourism and Art Time: 11:00am Feb. 10: Winner of Antonio Lopez Saenz Prize for Painting named Place: Mazatlán Art Museum Time: 11:00am Feb. 10: Final computation of votes Place: Plazuela Republica Time: 6:00pm Feb. 11: Election of the Queens Place: Eduardo Fontanet Bull Ring Time: 7:00pm . Feb. 14: Winner of Clemencia Isaura Prize for Poetry named Place: Office of the Institute for Culture, Tourism and Culture Time: 11:00am Feb. 16: Inauguration of the Carnaval Fair Place: Parking lot adjacent to Sam’s Club Time: 8:00pm Feb. 16: Lopez Saenz Prize for Painting contestants’ works go on display Place: Mazatlán Art Museum Time: 6:00pm Feb. 17: An Evening of the Arts & presentation of Mazatlan Prize for Literature Place: Angela Peralta Theater Time: 8:30pm Feb. 22: Inauguration of the Carnaval Food Fair Place: Plazuela Machado Time: 8:00pm Feb. 23: Coronation of the King of Joy Place: Fisherman’s Monument (Paseo Claussen & Avenida Gutiérrez Nájera) Time: 6:00pm Feb. 24: Coronation Pageant for the Juegos Florales (Flower Games) and presentation of Clemencia Isaura Poetry Prize Place: Teodoro Mariscal baseball stadium Time: 8:30pm Feb. 25: Coronation Pageant for the Queen of Carnaval Place: Teodoro Mariscal Stadium Time: 6:30pm Feb. 25: Burning in Effigy of Bad Humor Place: Olas Altas Time: 8:00pm Feb. 25: Ship-to-shore fireworks battle Place: Olas Altas Time: 10:30pm Feb. 26: First Carnaval Parade Place: Avenida del Mar Time: 5:30pm Feb. 27: Children’s Ball Place: Salon Venados, Hotel Playa Mazatlan Time: 10:00am Feb. 27: Coronation Pageant for Child Queen Place: Teodoro Mariscal Stadium Time: 6:30pm Feb. 27: Coronation of the International Queen of the Pacific Place: Muralla Sp-orts Club, 64 Calle Sixto Osuna Time:10:30pm Feb. 28: Second Carnaval Parade Place: Avenida del Mar to Olas Altas Time: 4:00pm Every night of Carnaval: Kilometer-long street dance Place: Paseo Claussen to Olas Altas Time: 7:00pm to ?? jackie@pacificpearl.com