The 14 floats for the Grand Independence Parade were moved on November 7 from Centro Industrial de Ternera to a hangar in Cartagena’s Crespo neighborhood. They will receive their final touches and adjustments there ahead of the Bando scheduled for Thursday, November 12, the Institute of Heritage and Culture of Cartagena (IPCC) reported.
The move crossed the city from south to north, giving residents a look at the structures before the festivities. The transfer is part of the preparations: the Grand Parade has yet to take place.
From the workshop to the finishing touches
Local visual artists, sculptors, designers, craftspeople and builders made the pieces from designs selected through CarrozaLab II. They spent several weeks working on modeling, sculpture, assembly, painting and finishing at the Ternera workshop.
The project is run by the Mayor’s Office through IPCC, together with Corporación Cultural Las Cobras (Corpocobras). The floats’ arrival in Crespo marks the start of the final technical and artistic preparations before the parade.
Cartagena traditions represented in the floats
The works include references to Ángeles Somos, Champeta and Picó Culture, Neighborhood Life in Getsemaní, and the November 11 Independence Festivities. These traditions shape the depictions of local history and identity that the floats will bring to the route.
Construction also includes a training component. For a second year, Escuela Festiva brings together CarrozaLab and Carrozas al Taller to pass on knowledge between experienced creators and younger generations.
In a report published on November 4, IPCC recorded 208 direct and indirect work engagements in the creation of floats and large-scale figures. Of those, 57 involved people gaining their first work experience, according to the project’s figures.
