Tourists Enjoy Closing Activities of La Vega Carnival

Hundreds of tourists enjoyed the closure of the colorful La Vega Carnival which ended with a parade that hosted cultural representations from more than 15 provinces from around the country.

“The number of tourists who came to our carnival is a demonstration that this is an attraction for those who visit us and the most important thing is that every year this event shows significant advances from the year before”

Tourists visiting La Vega, the majority of whom were American, French, German and Peruvians, filled the platforms set up by the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR) located along the parade route while others joined the dance troupes and local visitors on the streets, reported the Ministry of Tourism.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Altagracia (Tati) Olmos, said that, as in recent years, the Tourism Ministry backed La Vega and Santiago Carnival organizers as an incentive for their work in exhibiting and keeping alive Dominican cultural heritage.

“The number of tourists who came to our carnival is a demonstration that this is an attraction for those who visit us and the most important thing is that every year this event shows significant advances from the year before,” she said.

“The Devils,” “The Painted Ones,” and “The Swamp,” representing Barahona, kicked off the parade on a warm afternoon. They were followed by groups from La Mina called “Brillo and Shadow” and the “Classic Empire.”

Dance troupes from the following towns then joined the parade, in this order: Monte Plata, Azua, Baní, San Juan, Elías Piña, Constanza, Cotuí, Bonao, Samaná and San Pedro de Macorís, each one characterized by their own traditions and carnival characters such as “The Guloyas,” “Scarecrows,” “The Papeleros,” “Hen Thieves,” and “The Tiznados,” among others.

On the Tourism Ministry platform, tourists commented on the creativity of the participants in the different troupes and on their own feeling of security and freedom to move around throughout the entire carnival.

View from the Tourism Ministry platform at the closing event of the La Vega Carnival.

View from the Tourism Ministry platform at the closing event of the La Vega Carnival. .

View of local and international tourists enjoying the parade from the platform set up by the Tourism Ministry.

Charolyn Abréu, Queen of La Vega Carnival.