Concerts on Tenerife – Rocking the Streets of Santa Cruz

And with some more last minute ‘advance’ notice from Santa Cruz, you’ve just about got time to make arrangements to head into the Capital tonight for a free concert in the Noria district.

Alberto Saura2Rock are performing between 21.00 and 23.00 in one of Santa Cruz’ most picturesque streets which is also the haunt of some of the coolest people on Tenerife.

Events on Tenerife – 12th Adeje Theatre and Dance Festival

For anyone who thinks that the south of Tenerife is all English breakfasts and beer at a euro a pint, here’s the chance to discover otherwise with some excellent contemporary dance and theatre taking place in Adeje during November.

Perormances
Saturday, 31st October,  19:30,  - Garoé, Plaza César Manrique, Adeje
Friday 6th November, 21:00, - Impresiones, Cultural Centre, Adeje
Friday 13th November, 21:00, - Luz más luz, Cultural Centre Adeje
Friday 20th November, 21:00, - La Loca de la casa, Cultural Centre Adeje
Friday 27th November, 21:00, - El Sexo Sentido, Cultural Centre Adeje

Tickets are available from the Cultural Centre in Adeje and cost €6

Of course, there are those that are bound to say, ‘stuff that, I’d rather have the English breakfasts and pints of beer at a euro?”

Food & Drink on Tenerife: The 3rd Ruta de la Tapa Puerto de la Cruz – Un Mar de Sabores (A Sea of Flavours)

All you foodies out there will be salivating at the news that the 3rd tapas route starts today in Puerto de la Cruz (of course a bit more notice from the organisers might have been nice, but on Tenerife 24 hours is still considered a lot of notice).
Grumbles aside, the Ruta de la Tapa is a great way to sample local goodies and some new delish' concoctions for only €2.50 a throw (glass of wine, water or beer included).
28 restaurants in the town are participating and offerings include tastebud teasing treats like ‘mushrooms and seafood tempura’, ‘salchichas in beer’ and 'pork with caramelized onions and curry sauce' (not particularly Spanish sounding, but who cares).

Okay, I’m not sure I can type any more – I’ve got a date with a tapas ración or two.

Don’t forget to pick up your ‘Ruta de la Tapa’ passport at the town hall and get it stamped each time you try a ‘tapa’.

Dates: From 30th October to 22nd November

See Full Tapas Route and Dishes Here

Events on Tenerife:- The Tibetan Monks’ ‘Walk For Peace’

I don’t know what’s going on with these all singing, all dancing Buddhist Monks. First it’s a concert in Tijoco, then it’s cancelled and now news comes through that they’re performing all over the joint between now and the 14th November.

A lot of the venues are in the southern resorts which will make a nice change from all those Rod Stewart and Tina Turner tribute acts.

If they're performing near you go and see them, it'll be interesting and different and any donations received go to a good cause.

Click on the image to see dates and locations.

Of course the poster doesn’t show times but come on, this is Tenerife after all, you can’t have everything.

Festivals on Tenerife – 14 Festival MasDanza

It’s dance yourself dizzy time on Tenerife, or at very least it’s watch participants from all over the World dance themselves dizzy at the 14th MasDanza Festival in Santa Cruz.

Over the course of two days, dancers from Japan, China, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Portugal and Macedonia are set to whirl, twirl and perform moves that’ll make your eyes water at The Auditorio de Tenerife and the Teatro Victoria.

Dates: 25th and 26th October

Location: Auditorio de Tenerife, Santa Cruz (25th) & Teatro Victoria, Santa Cruz (26th)

Times: 19.30 (25th), 21.00 (26th)

Events on Tenerife – Tenerife Design Festival

It’s arty farty time in the capital as stylish Santa Cruz looks trendier than ever this week when designers from around the world showcase their work in galleries and plazas around the city for the Tenerife Design Festival.

So what is the Tenerife Design Festival? Well I think the festival’s website can explain it better than I can.

Expect to see designs which show that “…concepts are the starting point for establishing synergies between local factors and international proposals, consolidating design as tool of change and economic stimulus.”

If you know what that means send answers on a postcard to…

A healthy dose of pretentiousness is great now and again and usually guarantees that the exhibitions throughout the week will be visually stimulating.

Dates: 19th to 25th October

Location: Various venues around Santa Cruz

See Full Programme Here

Events on Tenerife – The Young Ones; Young Week in La Orotava

I feel like the oldest swinger in town at the best of times at some of the more modern fiestas aimed at Tenerife’s more youthful  population, so I think I’ll be giving La Orotava a body swerve this week. The lovely old town gives itself over to the young ones for its ‘Young Culture Week’ (La Semana de Juventud y Cultura).

Events include photography and comic exhibitions, musical workshops and, at the end of the week, a rock concert featuring Spyral, Naufrago Lunar and Patafisica.

(Note to La Orotava Ayuntamiento: If you’re promoting a young persons’ week, don’t send out a promo photo featuring people as old as I am)

Dates: From 16th to 23rd October

Rock Concert: 21.00 at the Parque Cultural Doña Chana

Events on Tenerife: Chanting for Charity – Tibetan Monks on Tenerife

NEWS UPDATE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Here’s one of those quirky, magical little events which takes place on Tenerife every now and again.

A group of Tibetan monks from the Sera Jhe monastery in India are going to perform traditional songs and dances from Tibet in Tijoco on Monday, the 9th of November.

It’s all free, but as they're doing it for a project in India (I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure it’ll be worthy), any donations given at the performance would be greatly appreciated.

It’s definitely worth leaving ‘Ohm’ to see.

Location: Plaza Tijoco, Calle San Antonio, Tijoco, Adeje

Time: 18.00 to 22.00

For more info call Sophie on 922 78 06 32

Events on Tenerife – Miss and Mister Tenerife 2009

Ever wondered whatever happened to beauty queen contests? In Tenerife they’ve never gone away and remain as much a part of the culture as pulling on a scarlet waistcoat and breeches and playing with your timple.
Every single fiesta in the smallest village holds a fiesta queen competition, but the big event on the beauty queen calendar is the Miss Tenerife competition.
And for anyone who thinks that beauty queen contests degrade women, there’s also a Mister Tenerife competition as well and believe me theirs balances out any amount of female beauty queen contests.

Saturday night is the turn of the 28 chicos competing for the title of Mister Tenerife.  Check out the candidates here. God, they’re brave lads. I’m still rolling about after reading the logo on their swimming trunks – who the hell thought that was a good idea?

On Sunday night 28 lovely chicas will slap on glam make-up and sport 70s style hair dos and strut their stuff in front of a panel of judges in historic La Laguna to compete for the coveted title. Have a look at the lovely line-up in their sparkly bikinis here. They get off much lighter than the lads if you ask me.

Location: Plaza del Cristo, La Laguna

Time: from 21.00 on 10th and 11th October

Entrance: Free

Events on Tenerife – The International Clownbaret Festival, Santa Cruz

Clowns… people either love ‘em, hate ‘em, or are scared witless by them which makes Santa Cruz the place to be, or to avoid like the plague next weekend when the streets are filled with these strange creatures as part of the international Clownbaret Festival; an open air showcase for contemporary clowns.

The festival kicks off on Thursday the 15th when there’s a screening of a Charlie Chaplin movie (not a good start) before packs of the painted face ones take to the streets (mainly Plaza del Principe and Plaza Isla de la de Madera) trying their utmost to make adults and children laugh, and no doubt scaring the beejesus out of some in the process.

Personal prejudices aside, it should be quite good and surrealistic fun in the capital during the festival. I might even go and see what’s going on, but if you see someone running through the capital’s streets waving their arms in the air and gurning and screaming, it might not be a clown, it might be me having rediscovered childhood phobias at the sight of too many grotesquely painted clown faces in the one place.

Dates: From 15th October to 18th October

Times: Street performances take place from 17.30 to 22.30 on Friday 16th; 11.00 to 22.30 on Saturday 17th and from 11.00 to 17.00 on Sunday 18th.

See here for full details

Events on Tenerife – La Gran Majada (the Almond Fair)

This is one of those lovely island traditions which captures the imagination. La Gran Majada almond fair is a wonderful example of keeping important island traditions alive, in this case the collection and storing of almonds and dried fruits such as figs by the local children in the Plaza de San Pedro in Aripe, Guía de Isora,

It’s a great opportunity to experience part of a way of life which has existed for centuries and one which seems an eternity away from that of the tourist resorts a short distance away.

Date: 25th October

Times: 10.00 – 14.00

Food on Tenerife: Cheese and Wine – the Perfect Couple

The Casa del Vino La Baranda in El Sauzal is definitely pulling out all the stops to seduce our taste buds. First it was their ridiculously good value and highly appealing menu, now it’s their ‘DEGUSTACIÓN DE VINOS DE TENERIFE’  between the 2nd and the 16th of October.

During this period, twelve of the best of the island’s wines can be tried for around a euro a glass accompanied by award winning cheeses (or after 12 glasses of wine ‘sheeesses’) from Arico and Benijos (€2.60 - €3.40 per ration).

Festivals on Tenerife – VII 50s Rock ‘n’ Roll Festival on Tenerife

The other week it was neo hippies and bikers, now it’s the turn of the rockabilly rebels.
Girls, pin up your hair and squeeze into a figure hugging wiggle dress, or a sultry halter neck heartbreaker’s frock and guys – just think Jimmy Dean.

For three days over the weekend, Los Realejos is set to swing to the best rockabilly sounds at the 7th 50s Rock ‘n’ Roll Festival in the Panoramica Gardens Hotel.

With bands and DJs from Tenerife (Los Contratiempos, Little Big Rebel, Billy Loy & Ballbreakers, Neón Boggie), Madrid (Tano 47, Rey Luy), Valencia (Rubén Gordon), Malaga (The Beerbellys), La Palma (Los Tihuya Cats) and the UK (Big Vinnie), it looks like a rocking good time is all but guaranteed.

Dates: 9th to 11th October

Time: Starts 21.00 on the Friday; from Midday on Saturday and at 09.00 (do rockers really get up that early?) on Sunday.

Tickets: €10 in advance, €12 on the door (tickets available from the hotel).

Fiestas on Tenerife – Fiestas Patronales de Adeje (Virgen de La Encarnación)

If you can’t take Mohammed to the mountain…

The resort of Costa Adeje isn’t particularly a stronghold of Canarian culture, but visitors should be able to get a taste of the real Tenerife without having to stray too far from their sun beds during October when Adeje holds its Fiestas in honour of the Virgen de La Encarnación. Admittedly most of the events take place in the old town, but some make their way to the coast including the ‘sortija de caballos’ on Saturday 17th October when local horsemen ride their steeds into the sea next to the municipal swimming pool at around 16.00.
Other events include parades, a romería, concerts, firework displays and open air dances (all in Adeje town).

Dates: 3rd to 18th October

Highlights:
10th – A full programme of events, the highlight being the parade in Calle Grande at 21.00 followed by a verbena (that's Spanish for party with music & wine) at 23.00.
17th – Day of Traditions and Folklore. The Sortija de Caballeros at 16.00 is followed by a folklore concert and another ‘verbena’ at the recinto ferial in adeje from 21.00.

See Full Agenda Here.

Tapas on Tenerife – Tapas Route in Tacoronte – Acentejo

Tapas routes seem to be really in vogue on Tenerife over the last 12 months. Puerto de la Cruz has had them and so has Los Cristianos in the south.

They’re a great way to sample local tapas for a couple of euros a throw. The Tacoronte – Acentejo area has now followed suite. However, they’ve taken the idea a saucy step further and themed their version as ‘tapa afrodisíaca’. It doesn’t take a fluent Spanish speaker to translate that one.

It sounds like an invitation to have an orgy of a tapas tasting. Aphrodisiac offerings include intriguingly sinful delights such as ‘Noche de Pasión’, ‘Sueño de un Eunico’ (I wonder if eunuchs do have sensuous dreams?), and ‘Papa Romántica’. I don't know what any of them are, but who cares?

Sounds great and as it’s in the area with Tenerife’s best wines and also some of the island’s best restaurants you’re guaranteed some seriously tasty and possibly sexy little treats.

There are 25 restaurants participating and each tapas costs €2.50 (glass of wine included). There are also prizes for the first 10 people who try 15 tapas and the first 5 who manage 20 tapas.

 See here for the full list of participating restaurants.