In New Orleans they call it Mardi Gras, but all over Latin America it is referred to as Carnival…and it is a BIG DEAL! Stores, banks and businesses close for 4 days so that everyone can get drunk and celebrate!!! Here in Boquete, we ExPats are no exception.
Every year Dee Harris and Richard Lipner have a bash on the date of Mardi Gras…..and this year the theme was GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR WILD SIDE! I couldn’t decide whether I was a leopard or a zebra, so I came as both…my wild animal side! Here are some photos of myself and some friends having a great time. I’m the one in the big pink wig with face paint of leopard & zebra….
A week later, a Mardi Gras style parade was put on by the ExPats, led by the Smoking Time Jazz Club band from New Orleans. We followed from the BCP Theater & Events Center, past the central park and proceeding up Main Street to the Panamonte Hote. Candy and beads (in true Mardi Gras fashion) were tossed to the amazed Panamanians standing on the sides of the street. The parade culminated at the Panamonte Inn where music, dancing and drinking were enjoyed by all.
That night the 6th Annual 4 day Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival began, where performers from San Francisco, the Netherlands, Switzerland, New Orleans, Panama, and Los Angeles played at various venues around Boquete.
Enjoy the slideshow below of the party, parade and music festival because a picture is worth a thousand words…..
Penny In Paradise 