Concerts on Tenerife - Arona Blues Festival

How can you possibly be blue when you get a blues festival which is completely free?

Acts include Six Fired Guys Dixieland Jazz Band, funksters D'Ebony and Brazilian blues beat courtesy of the Anna Paula Reis Blues Brasil band.

Venue: La Rambla, Las Galletas

Time: 19.30

English Language Cinema on Tenerife - Watchmen

With high octane action and girls with incredibly pert breasts, this tale of outcast superheroes battling for their very existence is probably going to initially have more of a masculine appeal. However this graphic novel adaptation is a superhero movie with depth and the action is delivered with a side serving of social comment.

Stylish, exciting and, like X-Men, escapism and superheroes for the thinking man...and woman.

Venue: GranSur C.C., Costa Adeje

Screenings: Daily 15.30 from 17th March to 2nd April

Tickets: €6

Festivals on Tenerife – Scalextric 2009

If you turn up with a wee plastic formula one car and a racing green hand throttle for the second Scalextric meeting in Los Realejos at the beginning of April, you might get some strange looks. It ain’t a model racing car competition, but a music festival featuring musicians from the UK, Spain and the US. Before anyone points it out, I know it’s spelled differently, but don’t tell me a figure of eight track didn’t spring to mind when you read scalextric.

Spain’s number one surf band, Los Coronas (think Beach Boys meets Pulp Fiction - I wonder if they’ll be performing ‘I wish they all could be Catalonia girls…’) are on the bill as is Jake the Rapper from the US (who, if all his tracks are like this one maybe should be renamed Jake the reluctant rapper – he does start to sing eventually, honest) and top London DJ Jeff Automatic. All in all an eclectically cool mix in Tenerife’s number 1 fiesta hotspot.

Venue: Hotel Panorámica Garden, La Longuera, 110, Los Realejos

Date: 8th April

Time: From 22.30 to 06.30

Tickets: €15 in advance, €18 on the door

Fiestas on Tenerife – MUECA 2009

Don’t forget to join the arty party in Puerto de la Cruz this weekend. Thespians, acrobats, jugglers, clowns, dancers and people with painted faces boost the weekend strollers around and above Puerto’s old streets from Friday evening till lunchtime Sunday.

Personally I’m looking forward to seeing the ‘artistic hairdresser’ (although I suspect I’ve actually had a hair cut from them in the past), ‘the day of the ugly people’ (if that’s just someone with a big mirror, they’ll get lamped) and the high wire walk. But with twenty plus groups and artists turning the place into an open air wonderland it’s guaranteed to be all good, bizarre fun. Note: Don’t eat any psilocybin mushrooms before entering town.

Dates: from 18.00 on 27th March to 13.00 on 29th March

Full PDF Programme here

English Language Cinema on Tenerife - Marley and Me

Jennifer Anniston wants babies, Owen Wilson doesn’t so he gets her a dog instead (seems a reasonable and even preferable alternative to me). So far this sounds like the ingredients for a rom-com; but Marley and Me is based on the best selling novel by US newspaper columnist, John Grogan and is more a drama about being taught how to enjoy life by a loveable Labrador. This week's English language movie might not be everybody’s cup of tea.

Cinema: CineGranSur, Costa Adeje

Date and Times: 18th to 26th March, 16.00 daily

Tickets: €6

Concerts on Tenerife – Hill Street’s Blues comes to Tenerife

Who can forget Hill Street Blues? Great Cast, gripping storylines and a theme tune that got you just in the right mood for spending some time with the gang of miscreants masquerading as police officers under the fatherly guidance of Frank Furillo. Next month Larry Carlton, three times Grammy award winner and composer of the Hill Street Blues theme as well as other TV and Movie soundtracks such as Against All Odds, plays Tenerife’s Auditorio.

However, it’s his critically acclaimed jazz-fusion guitar playing which is the real reason to get along to the Trojan’s helmet in Santa Cruz.

Date: 2ndApril 2009

Time: 21.00

Tickets: €18

Sport on Tenerife – The Las Galletas Half Marathon

Those roadrunners are at it again the following Sunday for the Las Galletas XIII half marathon. The slopes of Acentejo might sound more strenuous, but the climate on the south coast at Las Galletas must be a killer for running in. It’s been five years since the men’s record for the event was set (1.04.11) and eight since the women’s (1.13.30).

Date: Sunday 5th April

Time: 09.00

Inscription details and route: Downloadable PDF here

Sport on Tenerife – The Acentejo Half Marathon

A choice of 14 or 21 kilometres of slogging along mountain slopes that my car struggles to cope with; sounds tempting doesn’t it? Well it does to the 450 or so men, women and masochists who are going to test the limits of their stamina and sweat buckets in the process on Tenerife’s northern slopes on Sunday 22nd March. The closing date for entries was midnight tonight, but places are already filled; pity I was looking forward to a good run…

Place: Los Nateros Circuit (There’ll be signposts from the TF5)

Times: Race starts 10.00, trophies awarded 15.00

Real Tenerife Offer

Buy a copy of the guidebook, Real Tenerife Island drives, any Real Tenerife Single Routes or Island Walks and receive a free copy of ‘A Captivating Coastline’ – a twelve page guide to five of the most interesting and beautiful coastal walks on Tenerife.


See Real Tenerife Island Drives for more details

Sport on Tenerife – Motocross Championship MX1 Elite

Eat some mud at San Miguel de Abona’s motocross circuit (between Los Abrigos and Llano de Camello). For Spain’s Motocross Championship trials MXi Elite class (whatever that means).

Date: Sunday, 22nd March

Time: From 08.30

Tickets: €10 adults €5 children between 4 and 12

Back to Nature

If you’re a couch potato I’m going to save you some time. Stop reading now. The 14th Nature and Adventure programme is up and running. The initiative is designed to open up Tenerife’s natural spaces to residents and visitors by way of a series of organised activities which include hiking, abseiling, camping, adventure trails, climbing and star gazing walks (that one sounds least energetic…although walking and looking at the stars at the same time does add an element of risk).
If you’re the outdoor type this could be right up your barranco.

Dates: February to October

Prices: From €12 - €30

The pick up point for most activities is Plaza de Europa in Santa Cruz.

More information: Download the full timetable here

Music on Tenerife - Third Musitemático Festival

That classy town of La Orotava leads the way again in the cultural stakes with the Musitemático Festival which features singers and musicians from around the world. Diverse performers ranging from didgeridoo players (yes you read right and no, it’s not Rolf Harris) to Brazilian batacuda groups, gospel singers and America’s opera and jazz diva, Barbara Hendricks.

Important Note: Barbara Hendricks has unfortunately had to cancel her concert due to ill health.

Dates: From 7th March to 28th March

Venues: Casa Lercaro, Iglesia de San Agustín, Auditorio Teobaldi Power (All La Orotava)

Tickets: From €10 to €55

See Full agenda and prices

Concerts on Tenerife – FMAC

With the rising temperatures, the music season begins again in earnest in March and April when there are usually some great concerts to be found. FMAC is the Canary Island’s alternative music festival and there are gigs in La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz.
Somebody suggested that alternative music in the Canaries simply means that it won’t be traditional Canarian music – a bit harsh. So what sort of sounds can we look forward to? The line up has rock, indie rock, jazz, chill-out and R&B…err what was I saying before?

Anyway, it all sounds good stuff and the gigs are free.

Venues: Café Quilombo,La Orotava: Castillo San Felipe & Muelle Pesquero, Puerto de la Cruz

Dates: See full programme of gigs here

Shows on Tenerife – Circus Mother Africa

If you like your circus to have clowns with red noses and ringmasters in top hats, then this might not be your sort of circus. On the other hand, if energy, colour, sensuality and people contorting their bodies into impossible angles rings your bell, then this African assault on the senses is a must. Featuring some of the most innovative talents from our neighbouring continent, Circus Mother Africa has been a hit across Europe.

Venue: Teatro Guimerá, Santa Cruz

Dates: 21st March at 20.00, 22nd March at 19.00

Tickets: €15, €25 & €30

English Language Cinema on Tenerife

This week’s English language offering at Cine GranSur in Costa Adeje is the critically acclaimed ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The story about a boy born old who gets younger as he gets older…Nice thought.

It's one on our list of 'films to see'.

Times: From 13th to 17th March daily at 17.30

Tickets: €6

Sport on Tenerife - The IX European Winter Cup Throwing

It might be worth wearing a hard hat and safety gear if you happen to be strolling around Los Realejos or Puerto de la Cruz this weekend as both towns are playing host to the IX European Winter Cup Throwing competition.

Hammers, javelin, shot put and discus will be flying through the air as 400 of the top sportsmen and sportswomen from around 33 countries compete against each other for the prized gold medals

Venues: Municipal Stadium in Los Realejos and...well if the website is right what looks like a bit of waste ground on the road leading to Playa Jardín in Puerto de la Cruz.

Dates: 14th – 15th March. See full timetable here