Carnival is on its way to Palma. Citizen participation councillor, Alberto Jarabo, has rejoiced in telling us that the town hall has forked out 27 grand for the kids’ parade this Sunday.
As if anyone really cares. What the councillor has not needed to announce are any anti-saturation measures. Palma, for all that councillors for citizen participation love to puff things up, registers lowly on the Carnival league table. Palma is not a Cadiz or a Santa Cruz de Tenerife. And nor is it a Venice, for which councillor thanks to God should probably be offered.
In time for Carnival in Venice, the city’s authority has installed an elaborate system of anti-saturation control. Cameras, wifi networks, a whole load of sensors; these will be deployed in a massive data-gathering exercise to monitor the number of people and where they come from. Carnival will act as a sort of trial run. Venice will be using this system from now on, despite some sources howling data protection. And the city won’t be stopping at this Big Data project. There is to be a daily tax for entering the city from July.
All of which will no doubt be followed with some interest at the Cort. A daily tax? Hmm. Technological anti-saturation initiatives are already in place - an app, anyway. What about some more? For Palma’s Carnival none of this will be necessary, but then Carnival isn’t the city’s only party, and saturation certainly isn’t confined to parties.