The awards ceremony for the winning figures and categories of the 2019 Carnival was held at the Convention Center. Los Emperadores filled the hall and celebrated the championship achieved. Carolina Panozzo Zénere was crowned as the new queen of the festival.
The ceremony began with a great pep talk by Pelusa Araya, the event host, who greeted all the comparsas, and the supporters of each group made the Convention Center vibrate. Then it was time for the presentation of the various awards to the figures and categories, where all the dancers brought rhythm and passion to the evening, providing a great carnival show.
The event had its emotional touch when the Permanent Carnival Entity, presided over by mayor Enrique Cresto and whose executive director is Sebastián Cuberli, decided to recognize Claudio Matías Zabala, alias Cocho, mestre of Comparsa Ráfaga, with the “Rey Momo” award for demonstrating that the carnival is a symbol of inclusion and, above all, for transmitting his passion at the Corsódromo every carnival Saturday.
Carolina Panozzo Zénere from comparsa Emperatriz was crowned Queen of the 2019 Carnival, and upon receiving the crown, she stated that “I feel proud to represent the four Concordia comparsas that make this festival so passionate,” also expressing that she is very eager to start her work as queen, mentioning that “we are going to promote the Concordia carnival and take this passion to different provinces so that everyone can come to experience and share this great festival.”
To end the evening, Eduardo Cristina, President of the Social, Cultural and Sports Association "Emperatriz," received the 2019 Champion Cup and stated that “I am very happy, with many mixed feelings,” referring to the fact that “on this day, the work of an entire year is crowned, which, as happens in families, in jobs, and in social activities, was full of emotions, dramas, joys, and sorrows, but it closes in this way and with great commitment.”
In his speech upon receiving the cup, Eduardo Cristina highlighted the respect for the four comparsas that make up the Concordia carnival. As an anecdote, he recalled that “when we paraded for the first time in the Concordia carnival in 2006, we had many obstacles, both from the public sector and from the comparsas that were not used to the idea of a new group being incorporated, and we did an ant-like work that makes us proud today because, out of the last 10 years of carnival, we have 7 titles and 2 runner-up titles.”
Finally, he valued that “the carnival, beyond the presence of Emperatriz, would not be the same without the presence of Imperio, Ráfaga, and Bella Samba, and at the time, Unisur,” and asserted that “the city must understand that the carnival is culture.”
On the way to the 2020 edition
The representative of the “green and white” commented that they are already working for the 2020 edition and pointed out that the tradition at Emperatriz is to start working for a new carnival every May 1st, but that this year they had to start the engines at the end of March because the collaborators themselves are very enthusiastic.