The mayor’s office of Barranquilla is set to take over management of the city’s Carnival festivities, local media reported Thursday.
A Colombian administrative court made the ruling Wednesday that Barranquilla local government would now organize South America’s second-largest Carnival festival, so that it may become an international cultural heritage event.
Barranquilla mayor Elsa Noguera De La Espriella said Thursday that her office is reviewing the implications of the court’s decision and what administrative preparations must be made to ensure execution goes smoothly.
“The district’s current infrastructure is not ready to begin the operation, because it wasn’t one of its functions, but we assure the next Barranquilla Carnival […] will be the best ever,” De La Espriella said.
Current management of the four-day festival is in the hands of the privately-owned Carnival Barranquilla Foundation.
Director of the foundation, Carla Celia, reacted Wednesday to the court’s ruling by saying that the change has been gradual, noting that Barranquilla city government already owns 46 percent of the foundation and that Mayor De la Espriella is on its board of directors.
The next Barranquilla Carnival will take place 40 days before Holy Week in 2013, when Barranquilla is set to be named the Cultural Capital of the Americas.