El XXXVII Descenso de Galiana: 36 artilugios navegando la espuma en Avilés

With a record of 36 contraptions, a strong commitment to sustainability and recycling, an increase in prizes up to 8,600 euros, and the novelty of the Ascent, the International and River Descent of Galiana reaches its XXXVII edition conquering the Space and the heart of Avilés. The departure through the sea of foam will be at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, and the celebration will last until dawn.

There will be 36 peñas, and as many boats, sailing the Galiana ocean, competing for the 8,600 euros (2,100 more than in 2024) for the top eight classified, and competing above all for fun and enjoyment. An outpouring of imagination that will be enjoyed by all the public that approaches the city, and positions themselves on the banks of Galiana and San Francisco, Plaza de España, La Cámara, Doctor Graíño, where the contraptions will transit on their way from their moorings to Palacio Valdés School.

For the first time, the Avilés City Council has provided dressing rooms and showers for the hygiene and arrangement of participants after the conclusion of the Descent.

Jury and scoring of the contraptions in the Descent

The jury of the XXXVII Galiana Descent will be composed of five members who, individually, will evaluate 35 of the 36 contraptions participating in this edition, as one of the peñas has requested not to participate in the prize contest.

The jury members can score each contraption with a maximum of 100 points. Valuing the design, which will account for 40 percent; the construction technique another 40 percent, 10 percent for the theme, and another 10 for the staging and costumes of the peñistas. At the end of the descent, the individual votes of the five jury members will be added up and the eight contraptions with the highest scores will be the winners.

The maximum final points that a contraption could obtain are 500, after the sum of the individual votes of the judges.

Descent Presentation

Urban DJ Ethan Meré (Langreo, 2003) will be in charge this year of animating the Galiana Descent from the stage of Plaza de España. The music will start playing from six in the afternoon next Saturday, March 1, with the firing of the first foam flakes from the cannons.

Meré will act as an animator and speaker of the XXXVII Galiana Descent, presenting the entry of the 36 participating contraptions at the City Hall before the jury. Also, as a novelty and with the aim of ensuring that all peñas have the same opportunities, the music they will play when crossing Plaza de España will have the possibility of being reproduced from the DJ’s equipment to enhance their sound in front of the public.

The Langreo native participates for the first time in the Antroxu of Avilés in a bet by Festejos on young Asturian talent. Meré has extensive experience in animating parties throughout Asturias, both in nightclubs and at outdoor events.

Musical Proposal

The night will have only just begun, as music will be the other great protagonist of tomorrow’s celebration, from the stage of Plaza de España. At 11:30 p.m., the brand-new MacroShow Dani Parrondo ‘The Goat’ will debut. And there will be a little more, with DJ Monoloco’s session.

End of party with Monoloco

Renowned DJ Robert Morr, one of the most prominent figures in the urban scene, will join the Leonese collective Antiguas Raves, whose musical proposal is setting trends in the national electronic scene.

These two DJs join the festive programming of the Antroxu of Avilés and will perform starting at two-thirty in the morning after Dani Parrondo’s show. In addition, Monoloco brings with him a series of surprises that will make this night an unforgettable party: interactive games, raffles, and a program full of adrenaline.

Start in Llaranes

But everything will start with one of the quintessential Antroxu corners, the Plaza Mayor de Llaranes, with its Great Antroxu Festival, starting at 12:00 p.m.

Saturday Program of the Galiana Descent. March 1

• 12:00 p.m. PLAZA MAYOR DE LLARANES. Great Antroxu Festival. Costume contest, children’s and adults’ categories. The prizes are a school supplies package and a dinner for two, respectively. Photo of «Papu» for all Antroxu attendees and raffles for the little ones.
• 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. HISTORIC CENTER. The Ascent of Galiana. Transfer of contraptions through the historic center in the opposite direction. They will enter through C/ Emile Robin to Plaza de La Merced and climb C/ La Cámara, C/ San Francisco, and C/ Galiana to Palacio Valdés School.
• 6:00 p.m. XXXVII International and River Descent of Galiana Street. 36 spectacular contraptions will travel through the streets of Galiana, San Francisco, La Cámara, and José Cueto.
• 11:30 p.m. PLAZA DE ESPAÑA. Macro disco ‘Dani Parrondo The Goat’
• 2:30 a.m. PLAZA DE ESPAÑA. MONOLOCO DJ’s. (main stage)