That's what we did this year. Instead of celebrating the "fifth season" in Germany, we decided to take advantage of discount fares on Lufthansa and see how Carnaval is celebrated in Madrid. The concept is the same, the execution is, as you would expect, somewhat different. Since drinking alcohol in public is illegal, we didn't encounter any of the associated problems, which sometimes can make Fasching in Germany no fun.
Friday night the events kicked off with the typical speeches by local officials, dancing and a small parade of elaborate human-animal creatures. It was followed by a very bad Cirque de Soleil knock-off show.
Saturday night was the main parade. It was a combination of ethnic dance groups, small floats and lots of mythological creatures that were more creepy than fanciful. I was surprised by the number of people that showed up; five or six people deep along some parts of the route. It seemed like the whole city was there; everyone from babies in carriages to senior citizens. It was difficult to take photos, so I found these to give you taste of what it was like. The first one is a quick look; watch the second one if you want to see more.
After the parade we watched the rich and famous walk along the red carpet of the historic Madrid Casino on their way to the masquerade ball.
