The Barranquilla Carnival, a gold mine

It is estimated that this year the event mobilized more than $60 million in the five days. It generated at least 25 thousand jobs.

The important thing about the Barranquilla Carnival is that it is not a multi-million dollar business for King Midas or a group of businessmen. The event is the closest thing to a democratic economy, where the seller of chitons, beers, talcum powder, the parkers, those who rent chairs along the route, the cañamilleros, the drummers, the members of the cumbiambas, and the comparsas win. , the litanies, the individual costumes, the bottled water vendors, the taxi drivers who do not give a wide berth.

It is all a gigantic business behind the Barranquilla Carnival. And how does he do it? The democratic people themselves have played their role in the Carnival since ancient times and each year the share of what is going to be won increases!

It's a well-organized mess. It is a very sane crazy rumba, in which everyone is aware of how much they have left in the dance on the patio of the house, in the booth, and in the high-ranking halls such as the Hotel del Prado.

But without a doubt, the one that produces the most profits is the Festival of Orchestra and Ensembles. Since its creation in the seventies, it has become the main attraction of the event

It is estimated that this year 45,000 million pesos will be mobilized and more than 20,000 jobs will be created.

This is how the business starts

The night of the Guacherna is the one that lights fires, in an endless parade of cumbiamberas who scrape the floor with their rhythmic flip-flops, their packet of sperm, their tobacco in their mouths, and the wide skirt that covers them down to their ankles, while their body pleasantly sweats to the sound of the bagpipes.

Then comes the night of the Queen's coronation. An unusual show. With hundreds of spectators, and sellers of water, beer, all sorts of spirits, and 'fast food'.

That is to say, the Guacherna, the coronation of the Queen, and the four central days (Saturday of Batalla de Flores), Sunday of a parade of comparsas and cumbiambas, Monday of the Festival of Orchestras and Ensembles, and Tuesday of the celebration of the death of Joselito Carnival. Something absurd. But in the Carnival of Barranquilla and surrounding towns, anything goes.

The true democratic economy

While some earn more than others, the truth is that everyone wins. For example, a taxi driver on a normal day works strictly for the fare and has fifteen or 24 thousand pesos left to take home. In Carnival, he has "free of sin" left to take home $200 thousand and up to $300 thousand per day. "That is true economic democracy, in which we can all earn a decent sum to maintain a home where there is no hunger or other needs," says Francisco Montero, 59 years old, father of three, resident in the '7 de Abril' “next to the house where 'The flying cat' was born. I tell him that as a boy since he was a child you saw the evil in his eyes”

In short, the Barranquilla Carnival is a well-organized disorder, which has a central board, a president, and an entire army of collaborators, among them the audacious sellers of television sponsorships, the advertisements on the floats, the rental of the boxes and square meters for the installation of chairs for which the user pays $10 to watch the parade comfortably.

To hold a party like the Barranquilla Carnival, some 9,000 million pesos are needed, resources that Carnaval S. A. obtains through the boxes, the collection of some events, transmission rights, sponsorships, and the contributions of the Ministry of Culture.

And the best thing of all is that, with rare exceptions, everyone who works in the Carnival enjoys its "bacanamente" because one cannot spend four days on the sidelines. The spectators themselves offer you even the best quality whiskey,” says Dino Ochoa.

Grab your skirt women!

It is a peculiar phenomenon. On the days of Carnival, a breeze blows from the floor upwards, which produces one more attraction, since the cumbiamberas have to hold on to their skirts so that the public does not delight in seeing their noble parts. And the couples yell at them “Hold on to your skirts, women!

In a story for El Tiempo, José Llanos, former king, discusses the economic dynamics generated by the Barranquilla Carnival, the largest and most anticipated popular festival in the country, which began on Saturday and runs through Tuesday.

Although the season starts much earlier, with the pre-carnival season behind the overflowing joy, these dates are also an excellent opportunity to do business and create jobs.

Llanos, director of the African Jungle dance, one of the most colorful of the carnivals, manages to manufacture up to 600 masks for up to 300,000 pesos, which are used by folk groups.

"I have six operators, in addition to my children, working 24 hours a day: while some sleep, others work," he says.

According to the projections of the Barranquilla Chamber of Commerce, it is estimated that, thanks to the Carnival, the city's formal and informal economy will mobilize some 45,000 million pesos, with an average annual growth of 10.5 percent in last seven seasons.

The secretary of Tourism and Culture of the District, Afif Siman Slebi, calculates that the average cost of each tourist who visits the city is 300,000 pesos a day.

“They generate income from the moment they arrive,” he says. The great festival of the Barranquilleros generated some 11,000 jobs only in the pre-carnival, to grow at an annual rate of 1.8 percent. In total, 22,000 jobs were created last year.

Carnivals are the high season of Barranquilla, which is only equaled by the elimination matches of the soccer team.

Transportation, hotel occupancy and local businesses also see their income increase.

In turn, the informal economy, according to Undeco, the guild that groups the stores, reached 70 percent in its activities focused on the mass consumption of food and liquor, which corresponds to what is in greatest demand in the 15,000 stores in the city. .

All this means that, for the sociologist Édgar Rey Sinning, since Carnival is the main creative activity in the city, it should be taken into account as a cultural industry that produces spiritual satisfaction, but also improves the quality of life of thousands of families.

“The economic aspect is important in valuing culture, but cultural activities must also be socially profitable”, he stresses.

The company in charge of organizing the festivities, Carnaval S.A., came to schedule some 28 major events and 175 smaller presentations for this period, apart from those carried out by other organizations, such as the Carnival of the 44th and the Toma del Sur.

Kings of the rummage

The mere coronation of the central queen demands a large investment from Carnaval S.A. and from the sovereign's own family. Each dress can cost up to $30 million and demands the work of exclusive designers, such as Amalín de Hazbún, Judy Hazbún, Alfredo Barraza or Hernán Zajar.

At the coronation evening, held last Thursday, María Margarita Diazgranados Gerlein made 15 costume changes throughout the night, and used more than 500 dancers. In total, some 13,000 people entered the Romelio Martínez stadium to appreciate the show, enlivened by the Dominican Juan Luis Guerra and the duo Ñejo y Dálmata.

In the Batalla de Flores, which took place on Saturday at the Vía 40 cumbiódromo, 16 floats paraded, whose price can be between 60 and 80 million pesos, and 22 trailers with orchestras, which must pay 40 million to show the brand of the sponsoring company, and which are enlivened by 84 folk groups. Rey affirms that he has not seen an alternative that exceeds during the year the contributions to the economy of Barranquilla and some municipalities of the Atlantic such as Carnival.

"Let's just think how many direct and indirect jobs are produced two or three months before the party, in the pre-carnival and the four days themselves," the researcher stresses.

In a list of trades that guarantee profitability during the festival are those of musical instrument manufacturers, dance instructors, troupes, drummers and tamboras, millet players, bagpipes, clarinets, saxophones, costumes, dressmakers, capuchins, etc. Only Carnaval S.A. made contributions of 1,050 million for the costumes.

The transporters also live their party. A taxi driver like Raúl Gómez says that the four days of carnival can leave him up to 2 million pesos. "Of course, without having a 'cold' (beer), working at night," he says.

The Transmetro company mobilized 156,639 people and implemented a carnival route with 21 feeders. Another sector that generates a large movement of money and jobs is that of dances, according to Carlos Padilla, who organizes the Tsunami Vallenato, in which they bring together 14 music artists, and says that to put on this show he invests 600 million pesos.

As hook, he hired the singer Silvestre Dangond exclusively; that is, he cannot play anywhere else in the four days of the party.

It is estimated that Silvestre charges between 70 and 80 million pesos per presentation. "There is capacity for 7,000 people, but with 4,500 we recover the investment," says Padilla.

"If we were able to understand that Carnival should be seen as a true cultural industry, capable of producing employment throughout the year and not just in the days leading up to it, the quality of life for these artisans and artists would be different, possibly better," adds Rey. .

Llanos insists that this is a party to spend and earn money. And he warns: “you have to be happy, because you're earning your money doing what you like best: working for the Carnival”.

Tradition marked Batalla de Flores

Tradition marked the rhythm of the Batalla de Flores on Saturday in the opening act of the most popular and multicolored festival in the country: the Barranquilla Carnival.

The sound of hides and millet cane, which resounded along the 4.2 kilometers of the Vía 40 cumbiódromo, predominated among the majestic floats that transported the different queens.

Escorted by a large entourage, María Margarita Diazgranados Gerlein, the central queen of this edition threw flowers on both sides of the road and, without stopping dancing, drew applause from the thousands of spectators who endured temperatures close to 38 degrees.

Groups of dancers and costumes, as well as queens, danced to the traditional music of this festival, which in 2014 paid tribute to the 60th anniversary of its anthem: 'I Forgot You'.

The spiciness began with the initialist group, the Banda de Baranoa, which flavored each musical theme, followed by traditional dances such as the Cipote Garabato and the Cambión de Oro. Champeta music also prevailed, especially the theme of these carnivals : 'El Serrucho', by Mr. Black.

Orchestras and artists such as Bananas, Maluma, JBalvin, RH Positivo and Checo Acosta animated the tour with their voices, which lasted until late at night.