La Paz has opened registration for its 2027 Carnaval comparsa competition, giving dance schools, clubs and community groups about two months to put a routine together before the city’s biggest street party returns to the malecón.
The contest, organized through the Ayuntamiento de La Paz’s Comité de Carnaval, is free to enter and open to educational institutions, service clubs, dance academies, civic associations, unions and members of the public. This year’s theme is “La Fiesta del Futuro” — the Festival of the Future — and every participant and chaperone is required to march in costume.
What the Contest Involves
There are two categories. Comparsas a pie, or on-foot troupes, need a minimum of 25 members. Comparsas en plataforma, or float entries, must have between 8 and 15 participants. Floats also face size limits — no more than 13 meters long, 2.8 meters wide and 4 meters tall — and anything larger is subject to review by Protección Civil Municipal, the city’s civil protection authority, which oversees public safety during the parade.
Judges will score each entry on creativity and how well it reflects the theme, choreography along the parade route, overall execution, music, costumes and any accessories tied to “La Fiesta del Futuro,” according to city officials.
Prize Breakdown
On-foot comparsas are competing for 30,000 pesos (about $1,600) for first place, 25,000 pesos (about $1,350) for second and 20,000 pesos (about $1,075) for third. Float entries have a bigger pot: 40,000 pesos (about $2,150) for first place, 30,000 pesos (about $1,600) for second and 20,000 pesos (about $1,075) for third, according to coverage by Posta BCS.
Juan Lara Guzmán, head of Municipal Culture, announced the contest and invited groups across the municipality to take part.
How and When to Register
Sign-ups close Friday, January 8, 2027, at 3:00 p.m. Registration is handled through a Google form linked from the city’s announcement, and applicants need official identification for whoever represents the comparsa, a short description of the group, a one-paragraph write-up that will be read aloud during the parade, and a working email address.
Questions can be sent to re*******************@***il.com or by calling 612 12 94 872.
Carnaval Dates to Know
Comparsas must parade all three nights of the festival — Sunday, February 7, Monday, February 8, and Tuesday, February 9, 2027 — maintaining their minimum headcount each day. Carnaval wraps up the following day with Ash Wednesday, February 10, which marks the start of Lent on the Catholic calendar.
La Paz’s Carnaval regularly draws crowds along the malecón for parades, music and food stalls, and this year’s early registration window gives groups extra lead time to design costumes and rehearse routes before the parade season opens. For background on how the celebration usually unfolds, see our earlier coverage of the Mexican Mardi Gras and past La Paz festivities in It’s Party Time Again!
