He will be in charge of being the town crier for the Santoña Carnival.
Although no one knows him by his real name, "José Antonio Quintana," we all recognize him by his alias: Toñete.
He was born in Santoña in January 1962, and although his first passion was football, his second—and the one he lives for—is Carnival.
At just 17 years old, with the help of Antonio Ranero, he joined the Peña La Banda de Cartón, where he is currently the president. He has participated in every Carnival, whether in murgas, the trial, or parades, always with his Peña.
In 1981, he took part in the first popular Carnival, dressed as "El Zorro"—a childhood dream of his.
He was part of a small group of people who, sharing the same ideas, started laying the foundations for what would later become the murga competition.
He took to the stage as a murguista for the first time in 1983, dressed in rain gear—a costume they kept for four years. His farewell came in 2010, alongside all the veterans of the Peña and the murga "Las Mayoret de edad," saying goodbye with a record of two first places, two second places, and four third places.
He created and directed the children's murga "La Banda de Cartulina" for four years.
In 2011, he co-founded "El Cuarteto Santoñés" with four friends, a category that didn’t previously exist in Santoña. Since it is so different from the murgas, it does not compete but instead participates as entertainment.
He also took part twice (in 2014 and 2015) with the Santoña chirigota at the Gran Teatro Falla in Cádiz, an experience he fondly remembers. Additionally, he has been organizing performances by Cádiz-based groups in our town for the past 30 years.
All in all, between whistles and trumpets, he has dedicated 48 years to Carnival—our Carnival, the Carnival for everyone.
Congratulations, and enjoy it as it deserves to be enjoyed!
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