Two people who attended the carnival in medical suits and masks said: 'We've got to laugh'.
ADVERTISEMENTSitges Carnival near Barcelona is known for its weird, wonderful - and topical - costumes, and this year was no different.
Two carnival aficionados - Ulrich Malsch, 56, and Yorlen Perez, 43 - attended the event in medical safety suits amid rising concern over the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Although some might see making light of a virus that has so far killed several hundred people a little close to the bone, Malsch and Perez, 43, explained that their costumes were meant to be a bit of fun.
"I think that most of all we have got to laugh in the face of adversities because daily life is tough enough," Malsch said.
Sitges Carnival is being celebrated this year between 20-26 of February, with 2,200 dancers and musicians parading on 43 floats through the town.
One was a three-metre-high blue elephant surrounded by performers dressed in traditional Indian clothing.
The event costs the municipality €235,000, but the organisers are expecting more than 300,000 people to attend, signifying a huge boost to the local economy.
The COVID-19 outbreak was not the only topic that inspired this year's participants. Euronews correspondent Oliver Miočić spotted a dancer dressed as the climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Sitges is popular with the LGBTQ+ community, and organiser David Martínez explained he wanted the week-long festivity to embrace "respect and civility without sexist behaviour or homophobia.”
Raul Garcia, 56, who is originally from Cuba, told Euronews: "Sex doesn’t have genders. The most important thing for me is that people are happy. It’s about the heart."
And the partying doesn't stop after the parades end, night clubs stay open for wild parties until the early hours of the morning.
By that point, fancy dress costumes and wigs aren't looking as pristine as they did at the start of the night.
