A carnival group in Tarragona changes its theme due to a warning from Port Aventura.
La Colla La Bóta had already announced that this year they would denounce the "decline" of the amusement park
TarragonaThe members of the historic Colla La Bota de Tarragona, a group that participates annually in the Carnival parade, have made an unprecedented decision: they have reversed course and changed the theme they had planned for their performance through the city streets this year. Under the name "Death Adventure," Colla La Bota—along with the comparsa Divax—intended to denounce what they perceive as the "decline" of PortAventura and highlight the labor issues they have raised against the park's workers. Throughout 2025, the unions organized several days of strikes to demand a new collective bargaining agreement, which garnered such widespread support that they led to the suspension of ticket sales at the park. Ultimately, however, the theme for the two satirical groups during Carnival will be different.
The reason for the change of plans, as reported by the newspaper Més and confirmed by ARA, was an email they received from the lawyers representing Port Aventura, warning them that if they did not immediately cease their intentions, they would take "legal action" and seek "compensation for the serious damages" and losses. The president of the La Bota Alliance, Toni Garcia, acknowledged to ARA that the decision was very difficult, but that they will opt to look for an alternative: "It was a very difficult decision because, in addition, we had already done a lot of work, but we were left bewildered," he explained.
In the email, dated December 10, the lawyers remind them that they do not have authorization to reproduce "distinctive elements of the Port Aventura brand," which is obviously registered, nor to reproduce "characteristic elements of the official mascot." Last November, the Colla La Bóta and Divax groups publicly announced the theme of their float and unveiled the posters, which featured an imitation of the park's logo and a sad, skiffied bird holding a scythe. "Unlike the other groups, we always reveal the theme beforehand to encourage people to participate," says Garcia. He explains that they were fully aware that this time the satire could cause them problems, but they didn't expect a formal complaint: "We thought we'd get a call... but not that they'd go this far," he says. Colla La Bóta, with its 41-year history, has already stirred up controversy before, and in fact, it's somewhat part of their DNA. Their floats have mocked Repsol, the Port Authority, the Tarragona City Council, and garbage collection companies, among many other local institutions, Garcia recalls, but they had never received a complaint like this before. Sources at PortAventura declined to comment.
Before making their decision, the group members consulted two lawyers who warned them that imitating the logo could be costly, but that most of the accusations in the letter—the park's lawyers even mentioned unfair competition—were unfounded. However, the risk of having copied the logo and the financial and emotional cost of initiating legal proceedings led them to withdraw. García declined to reveal the final theme of the Carnival, which will be held in Tarragona from February 6 to 17.
