by Hannibal Reitano
In his 21st year, the Guleguychú carnival started this year's festival season, every Saturday for ten weeks at the corsódromo (a converted former railway station). 25.000 spectators in a night dream by the rhythm of the three comparsas , Ará Yeví, O'Bahía and Papelitos swept the catwalk.
The largest outdoor festival in the Argentine summer, was attended by an audience of locals and tourists, who were struck by the beauty and strength of their members, the originality of their costumes, the majesty of their people and their floats. After the opening inauguration ceremony, last year the champion Ará Yeví broke the ice and presented 'Mascarada', a legend of an old carnival dancer recounts when he got drunk. The comparsa of the Federal Shot Club tells how the mask evolves over the years, becoming something as current as social networks, where people often hide behind an electronic mask.
Then the second comparsa O'Bahia (Fisherman Club) paraded the catwalk with his song 'Constructive Emotional' that invites the audience to experience feelings, ensuring that there is no human being that can live a single day without experiencing some emotion.
And finally, the closing of the first night the dean Papelitos (United Young Club) were in charge with the theme 'Carnival Freak Show!' a strong criticism of the capitalist system. The comparsa shows phenomena with unusual physical and mental abilities, surprising and grotesque. Individuals with genetic alterations, medical ailments, greedy presidents, sadistic ministers, bearded senators, six-armed businessmen, unscrupulous bankers, two-faced judges and many paramilitary groups totally choreographed to the delight of the spectators.
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| Comparsa O'Bahia |
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| The Catwalk 507 meters long and 10 meters wide |
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| German Grané, Adán Bahl, Martin Piaggio and Carolina Gaillard |
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| Left to right bottom - Norberto Rossi, Mauricio Davico, Standing - Cristian Lonardi, Adán Bahl, Martin Piaggio, Pamela Martinez, Carolina Gaillard, German Grané and Jorge Maradey |
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| Adán Bahl, Pamela Martinez (2017 Carnival Queen), Martin Piaggio and German Grané, unknotting the official opening ribbon. |
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| Comparsa Ará Yeví |
