It is Saturday, February 14, and further parades are taking place as part of the 2026 Mindelo Carnival. The first parade—by the Escola Portuguesa—is also dedicated to the young participants.

Josina Fortes, the friendly receptionist at the Blue Marlin Hotel, takes us to the parade assembly point on Rua Angola. Her daughter, who is currently being helped into her costume, is already waiting for her there.

All the participants, their families, and friends are thrilled to be part of the parade.


Obviously, marine creatures take center stage at this year’s carnival parade, as you can tell from the costumes—fish, jellyfish, turtles, and so on.
Around noon, we visit the central square, D. Luis. In addition to the classic cars on display here, a stall selling cakes is particularly popular.


Other young people are getting ready for the next parade or practicing on their drums. We head back to the hotel for a short while.

On the way back, we’ll take a look at the portraits of famous personalities that adorn the new university building.
On Rua de Libertad d’Africa, we come across the next parade: the Jardim Casa Criança. Here, the focus is on young children.

The same is true of the Espendor Fonte Felipe parade, which starts at Praça D. Luís and features children and teenagers.

In front of the Palácio do Povo, we encounter the Trio Uni-Mindelo group, which has joined forces with the Delegacia de Saúde group.

Here, the focus is on the science of the body and health.




But first, we head back to Avenida 5 de Julho, where the two groups will start together.
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