COAC 2023: order of performance today, day 1 of the preliminary phase of the Carnival of Cádiz

Although there are still weeks until it starts the carnival, in Cádiz they are already partying. This Saturday begins Official Contest of Carnival Groups (COAC) of 2023 for the adult categories —in recent days the semifinal of the children’s COAC was held— and with it, the humor party. The COAC begins with a preliminary phase that lasts two weeks, in which each and every one of the 131 carnival musical groups with their repertoires are presented; During these days, every night from 8:30 p.m. at the Gran Teatro Falla in Cádiz, between seven and eight groups meet to present their songs this year.

COAC 2023: order of performance today, January 21

The COAC preliminary phase It runs until February 4 and the 131 groups will gather there for 15 days. Every day until February 4, a COAC day takes place, which lasts about five hours, in which between seven and eight groups dedicate half an hour to show their art and humor not only to the jury, but also to the spectators who come to the theater Here you can check the complete schedule of the preliminary phase of the COAC of 2023, with the order of the performances of each of the days from today until the day the qualifying phase ends.

How does the COAC scoring system work?

Before each of the performances, which last about half an hour each, the jury table receives a score sheet which are filled out ‘in situ’ during the performance: the jury’s deliberation is secret and once the performance is over, the completed form is delivered to the secretary of the jury. During the preliminary phase, all the repertoires of chirigotas, comparsas, choirs and quartets must be unpublished, both in type, lyrics and music.

Based on the scores obtained in the preliminary phase, a total of 56 groupings of the 131 that participate will advance to the quarterfinal phase. Once they reach this phase, the groups start their scoring from 0, that is, it is in the quarterfinal phase where the “point drag” begins. The repertoire in the quarterfinal phase is different to that of the qualifying phase, with a few small exceptions, but the music and type can be the same as in the preliminary.

Once the scores are added, a maximum of 32 groups will pass to the semifinal phase: here the points already begin to be added to those obtained in the quarterfinals. A maximum of four carnival groups will pass to the final for each of the four modalities, until adding 16 groups. Once the final phase is over, “the jury’s decision will be made public, which will comply in any case with what is established in these bases and which will be unappealable”, as can be read in the regulations set for this year. The first prizes of each modality they are required to participate in the COAC awards gala.

Where can you see today’s COAC performances live?

The tickets to be able to go to the Gran Teatro Falla in Cádiz to see any of the performances of the preliminary phase of the COAC have been sold out since the day they went on sale. Those of the following phases have not yet been released, although they are expected to sell out very quickly, shortly after going on sale. Of course, thanks to Onda Cádiz Carnival you can see all the performances of the preliminary phase, as well as those of the quarterfinals and the semifinal, although the final is usually not possible to watch live.