Avenida José da Costa Mealha was packed this Monday, February 12th, for what was the first day of the Loulé Carnival, which this year has as its theme the 17 SDGs – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
After a rainy Sunday that forced the organizers to cancel the first day of the parade, the parade finally took to the streets yesterday with lots of sunshine and a mild temperature for this time of year which helped the celebration.
«In the early afternoon, many revelers arrived at Avenida José da Costa Mealha and, at 15pm, when the speaker announced the start of the parade, a very significant human frame brought to the venue the joy and color that so well characterizes the oldest corso in the world. country", reveals the Loulé Chamber.
«Between the unstoppable rhythm of great hits of Brazilian music brought by resident DJ André Salgueiro, to the samba beat of the drums that accompanies some of the groups, dancing was a constant on this opening day, not only among the 600 extras, but also the public who didn't miss the opportunity to dance a little", says the municipality.
In the 14 floats that make up the parade, through the art of creatives and satire, current themes in areas such as politics or sport are presented. A “Monkey” On the loose in FC Porto’s “Chair of Dreams”, while Pinto da Costa and André Villas- Boas face each other for the club’s presidency points to SDG 3 “Health of
Quality". A Greta Thunberg with superpowers facing the Arab owners of the oil companies, in a car representing SDG 7 “Renewable and Affordable Energy”.
An American tank commanded by Joe Biden and a Russian missile fired by Vladimir Putin from the Kremlin against Volodymyr Zelensky's dove of peace, with the focus on SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and Effective Institutions”. And SDG 13 “Climate Action”, illustrating the car in which the president of the United Nations António
Guterres, witnesses the melting of Antarctica.
But concern for the future of the Planet and its sustainability is present in several details of the parade, from the use of recycled materials to celebrate Carnival, the placement of different containers for the disposal of waste, at various points along the Avenue, or in the questionnaire which is being carried out by several volunteers who, using a QR Code, try to find out the carbon footprint left by visitors when traveling to the corso grounds.
This is also an inclusive Carnival, which aims to bring everyone to this party. An example of this is the participation of Associação Existir, one of the entertainment groups that is part of the parade, and where users of this social solidarity institution meet.
«Yesterday, Sunday, we made the right decision to cancel the parade as it actually rained all day. Today it was possible to have our cars in 100% condition, without any damage, and in front of a very good house for what is usual on Mondays, we started this edition of the Loulé Carnival in the best possible way. Tomorrow, Carnival Tuesday, we expect to have a full house as it looks like São Pedro will continue to be on our side», assures Carlos Carmo, councilor for the Municipality of Loulé and coordinator of this event.
This Shrove Tuesday the parade starts at 15pm.
Photos: Nuno Costa | Sul Informação
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