Panama City's Carnival Board has proclaimed the queen and princesses for this year's "Panama Carnival for Everybody," Her Majesty Jannesy Contreras and Their Royal Highnesses Karen Pittí and Jade Vásquez. At the presentation the queen and her court, Carnival organizers also spoke to the press about plans for this year's celebrations, which come early and reach their frenzied peak on February 12.

The new monarch for the capital's Carnival was selected at a colorful pageant held January 11 at the Club de Yates y Pesca, where 14 contestants showed off their dance moves and paraded in formal and informal dress. A jury of eight notable personalities pared the field down to five finalists, who were then evaluated according to their answers to a series of questions. By the night's end Jannesy I, a 25-year-old from Chiriqui, was chosen as the capital's queen.

Under the direction of Bella Vista's representante and Carnival Board president Julio Crespo, the queen and court are making their appearances at many public places and events. From the PROBEIS All-Star Game to the Albrook bus terminal, and at countless shopping centers and tourist attractions, the queen and her court, often accompanied by a band, are drumming up support for this year's festivities. The party will begin on the evening of February 8 with Jannesy I's coronation and proceed through four days and five nights of intense partying.

(The capital, of course, will only be one of several important Carnival locales in the country. Las Tablas will reassert its traditional status as the number one party center, Carnival Saturday's Water Parade down the Zarati River through Penonome will draw big crowds and the West Indian Community will hold its annual fair on the grounds of the Museo Afro-Antillano on February 9 and 10.)

The parades, water sprayers and stages will, as is traditional, take place along Via España. There will be floats and pageants and musical performances by national and international artists. Crespo promises that a wide range of Panamanian and world cultures will be represented in the parades, onstage, in the arts and crafts that will be for sale and in the food and beverage booths. However, as we uploaded this issue the Carnival Board had not announced the lineup of musical performers who will play Via España this year.

Crespo said that the official program will be announced shortly, and that contingency plans with the police, the SINAPROC disaster relief organization, the Red Cross, the bomberos, public health officials and the city's sanitation department are already well advanced. Carnival is always a time of great exuberance, but it usually carries with it a few mishaps and organizers intend to prevent problems.

Tourism is a bright spot in a generally dreary Panamanian economy, and both Carnival organizers and the capital's business community are hoping that a large influx of foreign visitors, plus the usual return of many Panamanians who live abroad and make Carnival their annual vacation, will give the local economy a needed boost. Queen Jannesy emphasized the importance of safety for the revelers coming from near and far: "We want everything to be peace and love in the 2002 Carnivals," she said. Princesses Karen and Jade likewise called for people to be on their best behavior and make it a healthy celebration.

According to public health authorities, the hantavirus outbreak that forced the cancellation of Carnival in Las Tablas two years ago won't affect this year's events, even though Panamanian health care facilities still see a case of the rodent-borne disease every now and then. "The Carnivals can go on as normal," Health Minister Fernando Gracia said, noting that a recent report of a hantavirus case turned out to be a false alarm.

also in this section The National Stadium Boquete Flower & Coffee Fair
©2001 The Panama News