PRESS RELEASE (2/16/2016)
Everything is ready to Loano for the first of two parades of the Carnevalöa 2016, organized by the’Old Loano Association with the contribution of the Department of Tourism and Culture of the City of Loano.
Sunday, Feb. 21, Loano returns to host the Liguria's largest carnival. The floats of the CARNEVALÖA, after a five-year absence, will parade again in the beautiful setting of the Loano waterfront.
They will be seventeen the floats Who will participate in the parade and seven of them will compete for first place in the Village Palio.
Opening the parade will be the Carnival King, the official mask of Carnevalöa “U’ Beciancin On its flaming Becians Car. The other traditional mask of the Loano carnival will not be missing. “U Puè Peppin” Who will sit on the throne at the foot of the Clock of Loano.
Enriching the parade with sounds and colors will be the float Liguria Mon Amour animated by the ironic cover band “This time my wife sends me to... Funk”, led by two historic Albenga artists, Marco Ghini voice and lyricist and Rossano Giallombardo guitarist and composer. The duo shared the project with five other prominent musicians from the province of Savona: Nico Lo Bello (trumpet), Raffaele Esposto (Sax), Federico Fugassa (Bass), Max Maloberti (keyboards) and Stefano Lo Sardo (drums). The Albenga band has given birth to a new musical genre, which it christened with the name “creaturely” rhythm”.
The challenge of the Village Palio will see on the catwalk on Corso Roma which contenders: The tree of life (Stella Street Rossello Schools Loano), Arlo's journey (The Priglians), The Minions (I Mazzocchi I Mattetti Burdellusi), Star Wars (The Meceti), Speedy Gonzales (Maina de Löa - Cafe ‘900, Class Cafe, Ice Cream Frozen), Kung Fu Panda (Borgo di Dentro), Dragon Trainer, Masha and The Bear (Rocca Square). The jury will be composed of experienced representatives of Ligurian and Piedmontese carnivals. The winner will represent the city of Loano in the Palio of the Commons scheduled on February 28.
The floats that will participate in the Palio of the Commons: Ghostbuster (Old Bardino), Jeeg Robot of Steel (Borghetto S.S.), The Cossacks (Varazze), Los Volos - Los Tres Tenores (Albenga), The Tale of Peter Pan (Rione S. Giovanni Albenga), Sheep Life (Justenice).
Also present will be the masks King Chinotto and Court (Savona), Muminin in Pescèa, Meneghin u Treggia and u Scavena (Varazze) and Marina dal Port (San Sebastiano Po).
Finally, the parade of floats and masks will be accompanied by the Dogliani folk music ensemble, which will enliven the party to the rhythm of the most popular musical notes.
Official speaker will be Maurilio by Ligurian Wave Radio.
Sunday, February 28 loanese carnival festival will come to a close with the Palio Dei Comuni. The carnival competition between municipalities, which will kick off at the 3 p.m.,
The Loano carnival has more than 100 years of history and over time several associations have taken turns in keeping this great tradition alive, and since 1992 the “Old Loano” Association with “master artist” Mario Cenere, “master craftsman” Carlo Rua and Prof. Fulvio Filidei has taken up the legacy.
In 25 years, the association has restored the Loano carnival to its great glory, coming to be recognized as the “largest carnival in Liguria” for the number of floats. Since last year, moreover, the Lovato carnival can count a mask from the Italian commedia dell'arte, Capitan Fracassa, who together with Puè Pepin, King of the Lovato carnival since 1950 and U Beciancin, a goliardic character from the early 1900s who is the official mask, make up a carnival trio now known throughout Italy.
The passion that has long animated the Old Loano Association, for the historical and cultural value of the tradition of masks, in agreement with other national associations, has helped to promote and establish the first “Register of Italian Masks” where all the Italian commedia dell'arte masks and folkloric characters of the various regional realities will be registered. This work will make it possible to bring the various local realities closer together with research and historical studies, helping to make carnival known not only as entertainment but also as a historical, traditional, cultural and tourist resource.
Loano, along with Parma, Turin, Vercelli, Castelnuovo Don Bosco (Asti), Busca (Cuneo), Verona, Aosta, Acerra (Naples), Catanzaro, Polignano a Mare (Bari), and Sciacca (Agrigento) is a co-founder of the “National Coordination Center of Italian Masks”.
