On Wednesday, July 22, in the plenary hall of City Hall, the Miguelturra Carnival Peñas Cultural Association announced the renewal of its board of directors, with the appointment of Diego Rodríguez Tercero as its new president.

Rodríguez takes over from Raúl Domínguez Donate, who led the association from 2016 to 2025. This renewal maintains the remaining members of the previous board of directors, composed of Alberto Soria Martín de Lucia (Vice President), Jesús Muñoz Palmero (Secretary), and Esther Gómez Corral (Treasurer). Arantxa Naranjo Ruiz joins this new board of directors, assuming the position of Secretary of Communications and Traditions.

On December 19, 1981, the statutes were registered and it was legally constituted under the name of the Cultural Association “Carnival Peñas”.

The history of this emblematic association, whose first governing body was established on February 21, 1980, is and has been fundamental in the organization and promotion of the Miguelturreño carnival.

The Peñas Association has a long history of presidents who have promoted this popular festival since its inception.

• Antonio Vallejo Cisneros (since its constitution until 1984)
• Joaquín González León (1984-1986)
• Marcial González Rivero (1986-1989)
• Ángel Arévalo Chocano (1989-1994)
• Serafín Delgado Martín (1994-2014)
• José Hornero Gamito (2014-2016)
• Raúl Domínguez Donate (2016-2025).

Diego Rodríguez will be the eighth president of the Peñas Association

Diego Rodríguez Tercero belongs to the Peña La Cabra and will bring his experience as the Miguelturra Town Council’s Councilor for Festivals between 2016 and 2023 to the association. During this time, he collaborated closely with the previous board of directors on numerous projects and activities supporting the carnival. Many of these are still ongoing and are integral parts of the current carnival program.

In his first remarks as president, Rodríguez expressed special gratitude “for the hard work done by all the previous boards of directors, and especially the most recent, headed by Raúl Domínguez, for their dedication and tireless efforts to support the Miguelturra Carnival.” He also expressed his deep gratitude to everyone involved in this new project and emphasized the importance of teamwork in achieving the proposed goals.

The main objectives of the new management team include:

• Promote the Miguelturra Carnival as one of the region’s major cultural and festive events.
• Safeguarding the tradition and the iconic street mask, a unique symbol of the local carnival.
• Strengthen collaboration and support among the various carnival groups to strengthen the associative fabric.
• Continue working on initiatives that promote Carnival and encourage participation across all generations.

The Miguelturra Carnival Peñas Cultural Association invites residents, peñas, and cultural organizations to enthusiastically join this new project, to continue making Carnival a lively, dynamic, and traditional celebration.