What is the Badajoz Carnival like? This is our experience.

A few years ago I visited Badajoz Carnival for the first time without knowing very well what this party was about, and I have to admit that I was amazed by the show.

And almost 10 years later I have returned and I have seen that it is still as brutal as when it hooked me.

Whenever you talk about carnivals in spain, we tend to think of the carnivals of Canary Islands y Cadiz for their murgas, Its parades, their joy and how all the inhabitants of the city are involved in the party.

And that's why that first time I traveled to Badajoz Carnival en Estremadura, I got that surprise.

Badajoz Carnival, a Festival of International Tourist Interest

Everything I would expect to find at the best carnivals in Spain was also in Badajoz.

Perhaps that is why the Badajoz Carnival has released in 2022 the very important title of International party of touristic interest.

Because the best of all is that it is not a carnival of institutions and empty shows, but rather it is a street carnival, a popular carnival, where everyone dresses up.

Even the driest fruit stand in the city, under a carnival costume, becomes a real entertainer.

Curiosities about the history of the Badajoz Carnival

El first testimony of the Badajoz Carnival dates back to 1769 in the chronicle of the news book of Leonardo Hernández Tolosa, but until 1815 there is no evidence of the inclusion of “well-ordered dances.”

In the 19th century the carnival expanded with bullfights, plays, some costumes and masks, and at the end of the century references to the first ones even emerged. murgas.

With the arrival of the 1910th century, in XNUMX the first contests.

From that date they began to reward the most original mask, best decorated carriage and best confetti shooters.

As a curious fact, the Badajoz Carnival Parade It was on the verge of disappearing since they were banned at different stages.

They were not even celebrated in 1921, 1923 and 1934, although people continued to resist their disappearance.

In 1940 it was finally banned by Franco and they became small parties with some sporadic costumes.

But starting in 1980, the carnival re-emerged, growing year by year until this year reaching its aforementioned declaration as Festival of Internal Tourist Interesttional.

When is the Badajoz Carnival? How are the dates calculated?

As you probably know, the Carnival dates vary depending on the year, so that, for example, this year 2025 they have been from February 28 to March 9.

You should know that the Carnival festivities each begin immediately before Lent, and specifically are calculated from the date of Easter, and interestingly, taking into account the date of the first full moon there are three spring equinoxes.

The best things to see and do at the Badajoz Carnival

El Badajoz Carnival It is made up of a set of events that begin on Friday with the children's parade.

It is the first contact and where someone who has never visited the carnival begins to see glimpses of what will come later.

However, it is only a prelude, since when this first parade ends, the good part begins and does not end until the Burial of the Sardine.

I am going to tell you what the carnival consists of, what parts it is divided into, and also what it is like to experience it as a tourist.

Proclamation of the Badajoz Carnivals

The starting signal for these popular festivals is given by the Carnival proclamation.

And the list of criers that they have gone through Badajoz It already makes you see where the shots are going at these parties.

From the radio program Foam In 1986, the comedians Tip and Coll, Mari Carmen and her dolls, and the Calatrava brothers, to the imitator Carlos latre or the singers Miguel Bosé and, this year, Mario Vaquero.

Without a doubt synonymous with fun, joy and celebration.

The proclamation is given on Friday at Town Hall Square, which is filled with people with a crazy desire to start the carnival.

What the Murgas are like at the Badajoz Carnival

the costumed They are something very representative of the Badajoz Carnivals; As in Cádiz, it is the part where you can most feel the heart of the city's inhabitants and what this festival means to them.

El Badajoz Murgas Competition It is a very funny event where the local population displays all their ingenuity.

Through songs and music with rudimentary instruments, each street band creates his own show divided into six parts, which last about 20 minutes each.

Six arrive at the final of the contest murgas and the jury decides the winner within the framework of a spectacular theater such as the López de Ayala Theater in Badajoz.

An event in which tickets are sold out as if it were a concert The Rolling Stones and that perfectly defines the party, with joy, irony, social criticism and above all a great sense of humor.

For those who are not lucky enough to see it inside the theater, the Badajo Murgas Competitionz It is broadcast live on screens placed around the city.

This allows the whole city to gather to see them in their costumes, and why not say it, with some beers in hand.

The day of Carnival and the Artifacts in Badajoz

Saturday is reserved for the street party.

A perfect day to see the city in the morning and walk through places as interesting as its Alcazaba to Guadiana river bridges as it passes through Badajoz.

And at noon the people's party begins with the Parade of Artifacts.

The artifacts They are the most differentiating element that the Badajoz festival has compared to other carnivals.

They are small trucks that, like the people of Badajoz, also dress up and it is something very special and characteristic of the city. Badajoz Carnival.

Hay artifacts very curious, like ambulances, fire trucks, pirate ships and everything you can think of.

These devices are used to play music around the city, and it is the meeting place for friends and associations, each of which has one.

A total of 27 artifacts that are also competing for the prize of Best Artifact of the Badajoz Carnival.

Troupe parade at the Badajoz Carnival

For the tourist, the Parade of Comparsas Sunday is the most striking part of all the holidays.

It is where you can see those famous costumes that are kept in the Badajoz Carnival Museum and where a large part of the city parades with dances and music.

A carousel of parades that run through the center of the Extremaduran city, in which 46 troupes and artifacts have participated this year, with around 6.000 people.

Each atmosphere actor It takes around an hour to complete the entire route, during which they do not stop dancing as a group, all dressed in different costumes and themes for each year.

I have to admit that in my first visit to the Badajoz Carnival I missed this event, and now I think it is the most visual and spectacular of the entire carnival.

It starts around 12 noon and ends around 4 pm, at which time the jury decides which is the atmosphere actor winner of the year.

Finally, if you want to know more about this lively popular festival, I encourage you to read the article published by our friend Chavetas, who came with us to experience it for the first time without previously knowing anything about what this celebration was like, just like what happened to me back in the day.

Photos of the Badajoz Carnival

Here you have more Photos of the Badajoz Carnival