Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - The carnival of the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife recovered its glamour overnight after a judicial complaint over noise nearly led to its cancellation in 2007, media reported Thursday. Spain's most famous carnival was back with a vengeance, with more than 9,000 people attending an outdoor gala in the capital Santa Cruz.
Guests included Italian actress Sophia Loren and French actor Gerard Depardieu, who were greeted with applause and cheers by the public.
The night organized under the motto World of Magic featured 17 carnival queen candidates donning feathered and sparkling extravaganzas weighing up to 200 kilograms.
Winner Nauzet Celeste Cruz Melo wore a creation called The Golden Age.
The 2007 carnival queen was also crowned after criticism of the gala and organizational problems prevented the ceremony last year.
Dancers evoked magic rituals amid smoke and fire against a backdrop of owls, a phoenix, a magic castle with a skull and Greek gods.
The glitz effaced the bitter taste left by the 2007 carnival, whose gala prompted controversy, members of the public said.
The 2007 carnival also came close to being partially cancelled over a noise complaint lodged by local residents.
