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Third Water Carnival in Rio San Juan

Róger Solórzano Canales | Oct 12, 2011

Musicians and dancers from Xolobatucadas, a group that will perform during the aquatic parade.

Various cultural shows and street parades will take place in San Carlos by the end of the month.

As in the previous two years, the Aquatic Carnival of the San Juan River will include various activities and shows in only one day: decorated boats on the lake, street parades, cultural shows, a gastronomic and handicrafts fair and a popular dance party. The event will be held on Saturday, October 29 in the city of http://vianica.com/nicaragua/rio-san-juan/san-carlos/14.4 San Carlos].

According to the information given during a press conference, right before an opening act that is scheduled to start at 9:30 am, the activities will begin at the pier of the city with a demonstration of a street parade that will be formally presented later on. Then, there will be a skydiving show performed by international special guests.

Around 11:00 pm, the boat parade will begin on Lake Cocibolca, right in front of the pier. Julio Videa, Marketing Director at the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (INTUR), organizer of the event along with the governmental municipality, said that 10 decorated boats will participate this year and belong to state institutions, although the private sector could also be included. Two other innovative shows will be a rowing competition, in which 25 professionals will participate, in addition to water bikes.

Furthermore, there will be a cultural show that will start at 2:00 pm. This event will be divided in two segments. The first one will include several performances by inhabitants of the department of Río San Juan. The second one will begin at 4:00 pm, with presentations by artists from other Nicaraguan regions, such as the group Ascamana (Masaya), Felipe Urrutia y sus cachorros (Estelí) and inhabitants of the Atlantic Coast.

One of the main attractions will be the street festival that will tour the main streets of the San Carlos and end up at the pier. There will be seven groups representing different styles and regions of the country: Granada, Managua, Chontales and others. This year, according to Julio Videa, INTUR has invited traditional shows like the Torovenado, El Baile de las Negras, La Gigantona (León), Zompopo and El Güegüense (Diriamba).

Finally, the Tepenahuatl Folkloric Ballet will be part of the closing event. A popular dance party will be the last activity of the day, in which the renowned group Los Mocuanes will also perform. This year, organizers expect at least 5 thousand Nicaraguan visitors and over a thousand foreigners. Henry Sandino, representative of the private tourism sector in Río San Juan, stated that there are plenty of establishments and activities that can be undertaken in the department.

Translated by Cinthia Membreño