CARTAGENA (MURCIA), 26 (EUROPA PRESS)
Cartagena has crowned its first Carnival King, Miguel Ángel Cascales, from the Aradia group, who was chosen in a gala held at the Wssell de Guimbarda pavilion and attended by the mayor, Noelia Arroyo. The event, held on Tuesday night, is one of the main novelties in the programming of this Carnival 2025.
The winner managed to convince the jury with his fantasy «Rey Sol,» a design by another member of Aradia, Miguel Lorente, which scored 547 points. Cascales received the winner’s sash from the mayor and was able to share this triumph with his wife, Rosana Reyes Soto, also a member of the same group and the Carnival Queen of Cartagena 2022, who also took the stage after the awards ceremony.
The Carnival Queen of 2025, Zaira Gutiérrez, from Salgueiro, as well as the children’s queen, Paula Mellado, from Limón and Sal, also showcased their fantasies on the municipal pavilion stage, in a gala attended by the Councilor for Festivities, Francisca Sotomayor, and the president of the Carnival federation, Eduardo Pignatelli.
The gala featured a performance by Nebulossa, the duo that represented Spain in Eurovision with the song ‘Zorra,’ after winning the Benidorm Fest 2024. The duo from Alicante got the pavilion dancing as they performed some of their hits, accompanied by the dancers they competed with at the European festival.
The second place in the competition was taken by Francisco Arce, from the Sambao group. Following him were Pedro Antonio Ros, from Ilusión de Galifa; Javier Aneiros, from Sambao; and Zeus Pedro Paz, from Ilusión de Galifa. The event also featured performances by the Carnival groups and choreographic teams from Cartagena.
FIRST SEMIFINAL OF THE CHIRIGOTAS CONTEST
The XXII National Chirigotas Contest kicks off this Wednesday, February 26, at 9:00 p.m. at El Batel auditorium with the first semifinal.
Tonight, attendees will be able to listen to the compositions of Fundeplomos (Cartagena), Chirigota del Barrio, Picoesquina (Cartagena), and Chirigota de Aledo (Aledo). The second round, on Thursday, will feature Chochonis (Cartagena), Chirigota del Soto (Albox), Chirigota del Jallullo (Totana), and Robinsones de la isla (Cartagena).
The five qualifiers from both galas will compete in the grand final on Friday, February 28, with two sessions at 8:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at ‘www.auditorioelbatel.es’ and at the box office. The entire Carnival program is available attached to this news, as well as on the website ‘www.carnaval.cartagena.es’.
