Carnaval 2009 in Puerto de la Cruz - Antique Car Exhibition

People who find Carnaval all a bit too frenetic (and I have heard that there are some), might prefer a more calming stroll around the exhibition of Antique cars on Avenida Colón tomorrow.

There will be some wonderful old antique models spruced up to look their best; a statement which could equally be applied to the nightly street parties.

Time: 13.00

Carnaval 2009 in Puerto de la Cruz - It's Raining Men

For all the weird and wonderful costumes on show during any of the Carnaval celebrations on Tenerife, you can bet that a high percentage of the boys and men will be dressing up as girls at some point during the proceedings.

See some of the best strutting their stuff around the stage at the Gala Trans-gesora tomorrow night in Puerto de la Cruz when the transvestite Carnaval 'Queen' will be chosen from a line-up of 14 hopefuls. Expect a lot of fun, a lot of bitchin and a soundtrack which will probably include 'It's Raining Men', 'I Will Survive' and 'I Am What I Am'.

Venue: Carnaval Stage - Beside the harbour Puerto de la Cruz

Time: 21.30

Tickets: €5

Carnaval 2009 in Puerto de la Cruz - Opening Parade

We've just received information from Puerto de la Cruz ayuntamiento confirming that the Cabalgata (opening parade) will take place tomorrow (Sunday 22nd February) at 20.00.

Presumably they were waiting till now to make sure that the weather didn't do what it did yesterday before making the anouncement.

Urgent Carnaval update - Santa Cruz

The Santa Cruz opening parade has been postponed until 20.00 tomorrow, Saturday because of the bad weather. Tonight's dance in Plaza Candelaria will go ahead as planned.

Urgent Carnaval Update - Puerto de la Cruz

The grand Gala and election of the Carnaval Queen in Puerto de la Cruz has been postponed for another night due to the monsoon like rain which fell this afternoon. This is clearly going to have an impact on the opening parade. But at the moment all we know is that the Gala has been postponed until Saturday night at 21.00.

URGENT CARNAVAL NEWS - Puerto de la Cruz

The Puerto de la Cruz Ayuntamiento have just anounced that tonights Gala and election of the Carnaval Queen has been suspended due to the weather.

The Election of the Carnaval Queen will now take place tomorrow, 20th February at 21.00 instead.

Carnaval on Tenerife – the Donkeys of Güímar

The big event during the town of Güímar’s Carnaval celebrations is ‘Las Burras de Güímar’.
Organised by some of the younger townsfolk, it’s a re-enactment of local folklore based on the belief that witches in the area can transform themselves into donkeys.

The event involves the young witches turning into donkeys, demons being summoned and an epic battle between good and evil which sees the witches, demon and devils locking horns with San Miguel and his band of ass kicking…err angels. It culminates with the witches being burned alongside the ubiquitous sardine, who appears just to be there for the ride. Sounds like a typical Friday night in Güímar then.

If the witches are actually dressed (if that’s the right word) as the picture suggests, I’m definitely putting the date in my diary, but I will be taking a pair of protective goggles; those look as though they could easily have your eye out.

Venue: From Plaza de San Pedro Arriba, Güímar

Date: Night of Friday 27th February

Concerts on Tenerife – A History of the 20th Century through Rock Music

Old and young rockers will be interested in this show which traces the story of rock through the 20th century. More than just a nostalgic trip through the last century, the show uses the music of each decade to illustrate changing styles and historic moments. A sort of sing-a-long history lesson with music from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Pretty much like your average bar in PDLA any night of the week.

Venue: Teatro Guimerá, Santa Cruz

Dates: 3rd to 6th March

Time: 19.00

Carnaval on Tenerife – Los Cristianos

Looks like a bit of belly dancing practice is in order for the Carnaval in Los Cristianos this year…and from what I’ve seen on the beaches in Los Cristianos, wobbly bellies won’t be much of a problem.

The Carnaval runs from 7th to the 16th March and the Arona council website says that it will post the programme of events at the beginning of 2009…wait a minute, it’s now the 12th February. Still what’s the rush, this is Tenerife after all and it’s not as though Arona gets a lot of tourists who would like to know such things!!!

Main Dates

Your guess is as good as mine at the moment.

UPDATE:

Arona have now posted the agenda for the Carnaval in Los Cristianos. The main dates are:

Opening Parade - Saturday 7th March, 19.00
Election of Carnaval Queen - Friday 13th (definitely unlucky for some) March, 21.00
Coso Apoteósico - Sunday 15th March, 17.00
Burial of the sardine - Monday 16th March, 20.00

See full programme here

Carnaval on Tenerife - La Laguna

I just love La Laguna’s ‘Carnaval’ poster and theme, ‘The Legend of Count Dracula’. The city’s old atmospheric streets are perfect for a bit of cape swirling and its shadowy corners ideal for lurking vampires. I’m willing to bet there’ll also be plenty of neck biting going on as well. The main celebrations take place in the La Verdellada district.



Main Dates

Election of the Carnaval King: Saturday 21st February, 18.00, Plaza Mayor
Election of the Carnaval Queen: Sunday 22nd February, 20.00, Plaza Mayor
Carnaval Parade: Monday 23rd February, 17.00
Festival de Piñata: Friday 27th February
Burial of the Sardine: Saturday 28th February

Carnaval on Tenerife - Los Realejos

Here are some more Carnaval dates for serious Carnaval junkies out there. Los Realejos’ Carnaval should be congratulated for bucking the horror trend and opting for an environmentally aware ‘recycling’theme. I’d add a photo of the poster, but the council website has a ‘this site may harm your computer’ message on Google, so stuff that for a game of soldiers.

Main Dates

Election of Carnaval Queen: Friday 20th February
Grand Parade and dance: Monday 23rd February
Burial of the Sardine: Wednesday 25th February

Carnaval in Tenerife – The best DJs on the planet.

For those whose musical tastes are more dance and trance, the new event at this year’s carnaval in Santa Cruz will require some seriously cool rave wear and glow in the dark T-shirts instead of spotty dog costumes.

Electronic Monday sees international DJs such as America’s Armand Van Helden and Roger Sanchez as well as local hero, Real el Canario pump up the volume in Plaza de la Candelaria in Santa Cruz. Be there, or be…somewhere else.

Date: Monday 23rd February

Concerts on Tenerife - Guitar Heroes

You’ve just about got enough time to escape your virtual world, stop playing your ‘Guitar Hero’ computer game and get up to La Laguna to see some real masters in action at ‘La Guitarra’ the third International Guitar Festival which takes place in various venues around La Laguna, Santa Cruz and La Orotava between 12th February and 1st March 2009.

Admittedly the guitarists involved may not be of the headbanging variety, but if you like good guitar, you’ll love this.

Full list of venues and artists: Click here, or here

Concerts in Tenerife - The Commitments

Whilst rumours of who’s performing on Tenerife are pretty much a monthly affair (Kool and the Gang's dates still aren’t listed on the Auditorio’s website, nor on their own and Tony Hadley is confirmed for the Auditorio Alfredo Krauss in Gran Canaria on 26th Feb, but not Tenerife), the world’s hardest working band, ‘The Commitments’ are a definite (unless they cancel of course).

So guys, if you have a special person in your life who is a bit ‘Hard To Handle’ and you want to ‘Treat Her Right’ but you’ve ‘Nowhere To Run’. Why not ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ and forget about taking her up the ‘Dark End Of The Street’ and head to the Auditorio de Tenerife instead.
You can be sure she’ll show her appreciation ‘In the Midnight Hour’

Enough already; I’m making even myself groan here.

Venue: Auditorio de Tenerife, Santa Cruz
Date: 3rdMay 2009
Time: 21.00

Tickets: €20

Buy Tickets Here

Hollywood Motor Show in Tenerife – Puerto de la Cruz (extended)

Is it my imagination or has the Puerto de la Cruz car pound not been as full of 'naughty' cars of late? And is it just a coincidence that the Hollywood Motor Show is still in town (where do they get all those cars to crush)?

If you haven't managed to catch the spectacle of monster trucks squashing fiat puntos as though they were made of cardboard, don't despair. The show's been such a success that they've added another two dates for this weekend (7th and 8th February).

Better avoid double parking in Puerto for another week then...just in case.

Carnaval on Tenerife – La Orotava

One of the biggest ‘secret’ Carnavals on Tenerife is the one in La Orotava. Often a lavish affair with productions which wouldn’t seem out of place on Broadway, it doesn’t attract as much attention as those in Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz.

The theme this year is ‘Al son del Caribe’, (they are from the Caribbean?). I seem to remember last year’s involved pirates, so no doubt the Hans Zimmer soundtrack from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ will be blasting out over the La Orotava Valley again.

They do things a bit differently in La Orotava, instead of a mutant sardine being barbecued, they fry Saint Crispin.

GRAN COSO APOTEOSIS DEL CARNAVAL: 24th February; 16.30 from the Cruz del Teide to Plaza de la Paz

ENTIERRO Y QUEMA DE CRISPÍN: 25th February; 21.00; from the municipal stadium to Plaza de la Constitución

Full Programme

Tenerife Concerts – Wilco in Tenerife

Whilst the south of Tenerife welcomes old crooner, Rod Stewart during May, the north rocks to the sound of Chicago’s Grammy award winners, Wilco at the Auditorio in Santa Cruz.

Described by Rolling Stone Magazine as ‘one of America's most consistently interesting bands’, the Indie rock band fall into the ‘critically acclaimed without ever having reached super star status’ category.

Still if it’s a choice between the man with the feathercut or the American rockers, for my part I’d go along with that Killer’s song title:
"It's indie rock 'n' roll for me..."

Venue: Auditorio de Tenerife, Santa Cruz

Date: 23rd May

Tickets: €20 & €30

Carnaval on Tenerife – Granadilla

‘The Atlantic - a world below the water’ is the theme of the Carnaval in Granadilla de Abona in the south of Tenerife. The main events take place between 13 and 15th March 2009.

It might not be as grand, or spectacular as Carnaval in Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz, but the bonus is that if you’re in the south of the island it doesn’t involve a long trek to get to the old town of Granadilla and enjoy a taste of Carnaval spirit…in more ways than one.

Election of the Carnaval Queen: 13th March; 21.00; Parque de los Hinojeros

Coso Apoteosis (Caranaval Parade): 14th March; 18.00, Avenida Mencey de Abona
Entierro de la Sardina(Burial of the Sardine): 15th March; 17.00; from the car park next to ‘Muables Nuri’

Plays on Tenerife – Cyrano

Lot’s of folk around El Sauzal will be singing to themselves “Roxanne, you don’t have to put on that dress tonight…” over the coming week.

Not because the Police have chosen a surprise venue on Tenerife, but because El Sauzal Auditorio is staging a performance of Cyrano, the classic tale about the man with the big nose and his secret love for the beautiful Roxane (okay slightly different spelling, but don't tell me you don't start humming that song when you hear that name).

Venue: El Sauzal Auditorio

Dates: 6th & 7th February

Tickets: €6

Fiestas on Tenerife – Fiestas de la Virgen

It’s a public holiday on Tenerife tomorrow as the island celebrates the feast day of their patron saint. Although the main celebrations take place in Candelaria tomorrow with an air display by four F-18 fighters after the religious procession reaches the Basilica (around midday), the most magical event is the candlelit procession which takes place on the streets around the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias at 19.30 tonight.