Pyjama night
The wetlands of the Ebro Delta are home to large colonies of flamingos. So spotting flamingos often tops the wishlist of people that visit the area for birding. On the picture you can see the Fat Flamingo, phoenicopterus fatuosis. A very rare specimen of which, despite its size, little is known. Sadly, humanity is still in the dark when it comes to this species. And that is literally where we will have to be in order to learn more about it. Because unlike other flamingos, this particular kind seems to be nocturnal. For some reason it is most commonly seen in the night of Fat Thursday, during the pyjama night of the Carnaval of Vinaròs.
During the pyjama night people from all ages go out in their pyjamas. And with all ages, we literally mean ALL ages, we have seen several kids in strollers as well as elderly people. You will find colorful crocodiles, monkeys, bunnies, flamingos and unicorns walking on the streets. All on their way to the Passeig de Fóra del Forat, the northern part of the boulevard. This is where most of the festivities during the pyjama night take place. Normally there is a large parking area here, but during carnaval it’s occupied by the tents of the comparsas, the carnaval troupes.
There are over 30 comparsas, each with their own tent, a bar, music and some room for dancing. Everyone is welcome to visit, so you can walk in and out of every tent whenever you want. When you come to visit the pyjama, don’t expect to get a lot of shut eye. Because the nights here in Spain last long. In fact! They don’t stop until the sun comes up!