Cadiz is a short 30-minute rail ride from Jerez. We disembarked on Saturday morning while preparations were just beginning for the day ahead. Bars and cafes set up shop right outside their doors for easy service and to block the masses from entering; homemade signs listed prices for beer, wine, and bocatas, sandwiches of tortilla or ham. There were even walk-up liquor stores for the partygoers’ convenience.
The Cadiz Carnaval is one of the most famous pre-Lenten celebrations in Spain, if not the most. Cadiz’s southernmost location ensures a mild climate year round (although it was not particularly warm once the sun fell). The festivities last an entire week, during which most of the city is free from work and school. Notably, that first Saturday night is the most rambunctious, turning the narrow streets and plazas of Cadiz into one large botellón, the Spanish term for drinking in the street. The boundless crowds can get asphyxiating at times, and many Spaniards prefer the more family-oriented Sunday afternoon that follows.
Una Cubanita en Cádiz 