Elation Lights Dominican’s Carnaval Vegano

One of the biggest and most picturesque Carnival celebrations in North America is held every February in the town of La Vega in the Dominican Republic and this year production company Ilusound added its own flare of color and excitement to the festivities with the help of Elation Professional lighting.

Carnaval Vegano is the place to be in the Dominican each Sunday in February and tourists come from around the world to partake in the celebration. The fun centers around brilliant parades that fill the streets with locals dressed in colorful costumes and music filling the air. After the parades have finished, festival-goers head to a park in town where the party continues with on-stage performances from various artists, both local and international.

Dominican-based Ilusound managed audio, lighting and trussing for the main stage events each Sunday with Frederik Blömer of Ilusound overseeing the complete stage design. Frederik used 24 Platinum Beam 5R Extreme™ moving heads, 6 ACL 360 Bar™ LED batten effects, 4 Platinum SBX™ hybrid moving heads and 10 Protron 3K™ strobes in his design, which worked together with several LED screens to provide a stimulating lighting and graphics atmosphere. 

“We use Elation products because of the reliability and quality,” Frederik said of the Elation rig. “We have been using Elation products for 10 years already and continue to invest in their products.”

On the Carnaval Vegano main stage he turned to the hybrid ability of the Platinum SBX fixtures to fulfill a number of roles. “We used the beam feature to add to the Platinum Beam 5R Extremes and at other times we used them more for color washes,” he said. The full-color, continuously rotating ACL 360 Bars also showed their flexibility and served multiple purposes the designer said. “We used them for effects in some situations and at other times to fill colorful light onto the stage from multiple directions.”

During the design process, Frederik used Capture Atlas™ lighting design software to create virtual renderings that he then presented to the client as well as a number of international artists. “It was very useful in creating the final idea for the look and feel of the show each night,” he commented of the lighting design, documentation and visualization software. He also used Capture Atlas to generate the paperwork and plots for technicians so they would know where each fixture and truss would be set on stage.

La Vega was host to the first Carnival in the Americas some 500 years ago and the 2017 version was another milestone with crowds growing each year. Frederik says he wouldn't have been able to achieve such an excellent result without the help and mentoring of José Joaquín Peralta and Carlos Porrelo. “Their experience and knowledge of more than 15 years in events was a huge help in achieving our goals,” he concludes.

About Elation Professional
Elation Professional is one of the world’s leading lighting and visual solutions providers and is the global brand of Elation Lighting. Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Los Angeles, with European sales, distribution and support based in The Netherlands, Elation designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of innovative yet affordable lighting and video products that are distributed through a global network of dealers and distributors. Made up of a spirited team of dedicated personnel, Elation is setting new efficiency and performance standards in Platinum lamp and LED technology and is acknowledged for a comprehensive commitment to Total Support. As a company in expansion with a presence in a growing variety of market segments, chances are you’ve experienced Elation lighting at a concert, special event, TV, theater, late night venue, House of Worship, theme park, cruise ship, exhibition, architectural space or elsewhere. For more information, please visit www.elationlighting.com