Aguilas Carnival

You should not miss out on the Aguilas carnival in February. It marks the end of the Erasmus stay for some, and the beginning of the adventure for others, and is awesome for many reasons. It lasts for two weeks and brings parades, competitions and shows of all genres with it.

First of all, as it's on for two weekends, you would expect to be free for at least one day. There's also a stunning view of the Aguilas beach to enjoy during the day or night time. The carnival, being on the beach, is new and original. Finally, it's nice to be in an environment that's shared with all the people from all the other villages- there's a lot of people. You'll find a castle with bars and a DJ and another littler castle full with bars. When I went, I ate at the only Mexican stand there which was really very good, so I recommend visiting there.

Everybody is dressed up with no exceptions- it's the carnival where I have seen the most and the coolest costumes! The programme is available on their website. Often, there's a superb parade on the first Sunday of carnival.

To get there

• By bus: Go with Lycar company
• By train: There was a train every hour to Aguilas but I don't think it runs in winter. The company is called Renfe.
• By car: If you're leaving Murcia, head towards Granada then take the 'Alguilas' exit (at the end of Mar Menor).

Throughout the whole year and especially as the month of February approaches, the carnival of Aguilas sounds from the lips of every Spaniard. One of the best known in the region of Murcia, it's the Erasmus outing not to be missed! Adorned with our costumes bought here for the occasion (although incidentally much shorter than the French costumes), we arrived into the coastal freshness : the bee, the black widow and the ladybird.

The streets were packed full of people and all were dressed up: from priests and all kinds of animals to film characters. Seeing as the festival wouldn't start for a few hours, we went up to the top of the hill near to the castle in order to admire the magnificent view under the sunset. .

Then, due to the 25 years of experience, several parades of official floats arrived, but numerous vehicles circulated the roads. Each one had a theme, like superheros or ghost-busters, but most importantly, they had music vibrating all around the surroundings. It was then necessary to make a choice depending on everyones' taste in music, in order to dance to the cheerful rhythms. In fact, the most important thing to do whilst at this event, was to party and drink. At each corner of the street, were drinks stands selling beer to sangria at affordable prices. Being an enthusiast of carnivals and dressing up, I liked it a lot and I hope that those of you who share this passion can go one day!

Aguilas carnival is an event in February that cannot be missed! For some Erasmus students, it is both a happy and sad time as some will soon be returning to their home country, while others are arriving and discovering the joys of Erasmus life. Whether you’re in the first group, or the second, do not miss it! It lasts for two weeks, starting in February. There’s car-drawn parades, fancy dress contests, shows, etc. It’s great for several reasons.

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To begin with, it covers two weekends. So, if you can’t go during the first weekend for example, (which I'd say is for the best as people go crazy, they’re not tired yet and students have just finished their exams), you can still go during the second weekend and you don’t miss out on anything. Additionally, the view is awesome as there’s a sea view, all while in a carnival-fuelled environment. It’s very original, the only carnival by the beach. Finally, the atmosphere at Aguilas reminds me of my town. There’s two marquees, a big one and a small one, with bars and music. It’s a very welcoming environment and everyone there is so nice. Everyone is dressed up in fancy dress costumes without fail, which also gives such a good touch to this carnival. Some costumes are very beautiful so you can see that some people have taken a long time to prepare them.

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The program is on the town’s website. Usually there’s a parade on the first Sunday of the event.

To get there:

1. You can go by car, taking the route towards Mar Menor. Aguilas is further as the sea which surrounds it is the Mediterranean.
2. You can also car share. To do that, I recommend the webpage Comuto (now known as BlaBlaCar).
3. You can also get a bus. Timetables can be found on the Lycar, the bus company’s webpage. The first bus leaves at 9am.
4. You can also take the train, like I did. It seems that right now there’s no train. Maybe they cancelled it because of the crisis, or because it’s winter, I’m not sure. I always took the first train at 7am. It was full of people, and it was fun because everyone was as wearing half-broken costumes and still drunk.

Here’s a photo of the parade:

As you can see, the costumes are incredible!