Scenes from this year's Carnival

Samy the Sardine. He was a credit to his species. Photo by NOAA

Although there were the usual mishaps, the party went on with few hitches

Carnival scenes
photos and videos by various folks

He was a perfectly well mannered fish, an outstanding fish, a credit to his school. It didn't save Samy the Sardine. Panamanians don't study enough, place too much emphasis on partying, and can't stand Samy's freedom. So they plucked him out of the sea and buried him at the end of prolonged bacchanalian orgy. It didn't matter that Samy represented the very essence of sardine excellence.

Thus ended Panama's 2011 Carnival festivities. As this story was written they hadn't yet reported a traffic accident toll that included the Ash Wednesday morning drive back from the Interior, but the numbers of those whose Carnival was ruined by car crashes, drownings, shootings, stabbings and inebriated falls from high places were in more or less normal ranges, as was the volume of the trash collected after the party. It seems that the smaller, quieter, more neighborly and less expensive celebrations gained at the expense of the wild extravaganzas this year, but that's mainly an anecdotal observation made from a largely abandoned Panama City and a comparatively quiet San Carlos, and from exchanges of notes with friends.

At the last minute the government poured $2 million into advertising and opaque contracts for its Cinta Costera party, while the rival People's Private Carnival had its limited means and turned into one of the smaller, more neighborhood-oriented events for people on the northern and eastern parts of the metro area.

Dancing at ATLAPA. Photo by Ramona Rhoades

Diablos rampage in Bocas

A casualty on the Cinta Costera. Photo by Kermit Nourse

Carnival traffic to the Interior, heading past San Carlos
Photo by Eric Jackson

Sunday in Las Tablas

Assembling a float. Photo by Ramona Rhoades

Crowning Tiffany I, the People's Private Carnival queen
Photo by the Carnaval Privado del Pueblo

The party in Chepo, east of the Panama City metro area