The capital's mayor, Mayer Mizrachi, made it clear that his vision for the upcoming carnivals in the city will not follow the traditional path. For him, mass 'culequeadera' (street parties) has its place in the interior of the country. In the capital, the bet is different: to turn the so-called 'Carnival of the City' into an international-level festival. 'If you want to party on the streets, you go to the interior. Here we are going to transform what people expect from carnival dates to create a really new product, without moving away from our Panamanian culture,' Mizrachi stated, marking the line he seeks to impose from the Municipality of Panama. The mayor explained that during the carnival days, from Saturday, February 14, to Tuesday, February 17, the city will be the setting for an event in festival format, designed to attract foreign tourism and not compete with the internal tourism that traditionally moves towards the interior of the country. According to Mizrachi, the idea is not to copy or imitate traditional carnivals, but to create a different experience, focused on music, shows, and the international projection of the city of Panama. However, he made it clear that the tradition will not be eliminated altogether. There will be a 'mojadera' (water fight), but it will not be the central axis of the event. 'We are creating a music festival during the carnival dates,' the mayor reiterated, defending a proposal that is already beginning to generate debate between those who support the change and those who prefer the carnival as it has always been lived. The priority, he said, is to offer multiple artistic performances and turn the capital into an attractive point for visitors during those dates.
