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Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen 2004

Natalia Acosta Jorge Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2004

Queen of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival in 2004 was Natalia Acosta Jorge, in a costume entitled "Miércoles de luna llena" (Full Moon Wednesday), designed by Juan Carlos Armas and representing Bingo Colombófilo. 

In 2004, the court was made up as follows:

  1. 1st Maid of Honour: Guacimara Díaz Luis, with a costume entitled 'Sutil' (Subtle), representing Centro Comercial Santa Cruz - Carrefour and designed by Santi Castro.
  2. 2nd Maid of Honour: Raquel Montesinos Rodríguez, with a costume entitled 'En son de paz' (In the name of peace), representing Floristería Tin and designed by Carma II.
  3. 3rd Maid of Honour: Carlota Hernández Delgado, with a costume entitled 'Ritual' (Ritual), representing newspaper "El Baúl" and designed by Saliarca Creativos.
  4. 4th Maid of Honour: María Isabel Fumero Méndez, with a costume entitled 'Kyda', representing Barbacoa Tacoronte and designed by Expedita Hernández.
That year, the theme of carnival paid homage to the legendary "Queen of Salsa", Cuban singer, Celia Cruz who died in 2003.

The queen's election gala, which was held on the stage set up in the central Plaza de España before almost seven thousand people and was directed by Jaime Azpilicueta, was a prelude to the carnival festivities in the streets, which ran from Friday 20 February to Sunday 29 February, filling the streets and nights of the city with hundreds of thousands of carnival goers. The tribute to Celia Cruz was made clear by the presence at the gala of her widower, Pedro Knight, who shouted the singer's famous cry of  "¡Azúcar!" (Sugar!) from the stage.

The stage in the Plaza de España was decorated as a neighbourhood in Cuba, with a neon sign that read "Celia Cruz" in blue. Tenerife wanted to pay tribute to the salsa singer who had meant so much for the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (particularly for her performance at the Guinness record-breaking party in 1987) and whose songs have intoxicated the nights of the carnival in the city streets. Also during the gala, then mayor of the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Miguel Zerolo Aguilar, declared Celia Cruz as "Queen of Honor of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival". The gala closed with the song "El Cielo Tiene Azúcar" (Heaven has sugar), composed by Guillermo Albelo and Gilberto Martín and performed by the group "Sound Balera". Guillermo Albelo, a mutual friend of Cuban pianist Rolando Columbié and Celia Cruz, wanted to dedicate it to them. 

That year the council decided to move the Burial of the Sardine from Ash Wednesday to two days later, on Piñata Friday. A controversial decision that was not well received in all carnival sectors, with some opting to keep the funeral on its traditional date, so that there were two burials of the battered sardine. 


(Coronation of the Carnival Queen of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2004)
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