Fiestas on Tenerife: Shake, Rattle and Roll – It’s San Andrés

Don’t forget that we have wino weekend coming up this fin de semana (I only wrote that so I didn’t need to write weekend twice) otherwise known as the celebrations in honour of San Andrés.

It’s a great excuse to pop open a bottle of new wine, which is what the fiesta is all about, and sink a few… well it would be rude not to and when in Rome and all that.

Celebrations take place in towns all over Tenerife, but the two stand out places are Puerto de la Cruz where you can test wine from all over the valley at the wine fair on the harbour, or grab a table and order a poke of chestnuts and try to listen to some traditional Canarian bands whilst kids drag anything from coke cans to washing machines across the cobbles – follow this link if you want to find out why.

The other choice venue is Icod de los Vinos which becomes Tenerife’s extreme sports capital for a couple of days when local lads, and occasional lassies, take to using trays to get from the top of Icod’s steep streets to the bottom in record breaking, and potentially bone breaking, time.

Events take place in Puerto from the 27th November with the main celebrations taking place on the evening of Saturday 29th November.

Fiestas on Tenerife - Festival Internacional del Cuento Los Silos 2009 (Story Telling Festival, Los Silos)

It’s tall tales time in Tenerife again; although there are those who'd say that you can hear tall tales any night of the week in some bars across the island.

These ones are told by professional word weavers. For five days at the beginning of December, storytellers from around the world converge on the charming little town of Los Silos in Isla Baja to enchant locals and visitors with tales of magic and wonder.

The town’s Plaza Nuestra Señora de la Luz, provides the perfect fairy tale backdrop for one of Tenerife’s more spellbinding little fiestas.

Many of this year’s storytellers are from South America, but even if you don’t understand Spanish, the town has such a lovely feel to it and there’s always plenty of things to see which don’t require any translating.

Best days should be Saturday and Sunday.

Dates: 4th to 8th December

Entrance: Many events are free, but there’s a charge for others. See Full Agenda of Events here for more details (In Spanish).

Events on Tenerife: Walk for Life in Playa de las Américas

We receive lots of queries about walking on Tenerife, well here’s the opportunity to indulge in something you enjoy and also do it for a great cause as donations made go to (AECC) “Asociación Española contra el Cáncer” (Spanish Association against Cancer) and (AMATE) “Asociación de Mujeres afectadas por Cáncer de mama” (Association of Women Affected by Breast Cancer).

Each year, thousands of people turn the promenade at Playa de las Américas into a pink parade in a colourful show of support for those who have been affected by this horrible disease.

Simply register, make a donation, pick up your Walk for Life t-shirt, or pink cap and you can become a member of the pink parade.

Walk for Life this year takes place on Sunday the 13th December and the route runs along the promenade from the Mediterranean Palace hotel in Playa de las Américas to the Sally Tien Plaza, Costa Adeje.

Have a look at the Walk for Life website for more information

Food and Drink: Third ‘Ruta de la Tapa’ in Granadilla de Abona

Tapas routes are becoming more and more popular on Tenerife. As the one in Puerto de la Cruz comes to an end, another in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona begins.

22 restaurants in El Médano, Granadilla, Los Abrigos, San Isidro y Cruz de Tea are creating some delectable tapas dishes for the competition which runs from the 15th November until the 15th December for €2.50 a tapas.

Look out for crab montaditos, grated white cheese and almogrote, meatballs with dates and montaditos with goat’s cheese and gofio amongst loads more goodies.

Click here to see a full list of participating restaurants, tapas dishes, opening hours, names of everyone present, past and future who has ever made a tapas dish in Granadilla, their relatives, friends of their relatives, and anyone they’ve ever met…(scroll to the bottom to find the list of restaurants)

The art of being concise isn’t a concept in Granadilla yet.

Food and Drink on Tenerife – The 4th Wine Route ‘Vinos y Viñedos'

The wine bus is on its travels again, this time visiting Bodega El Moral in El Sauzal for a bit of wine tasting, then the Los Nateros vineyard and the La Matanza market. The last stop is at Bodega Insercasa in Valle de Guerra before you’re dropped off back at the bus station in Santa Cruz.

It’s just dawned on me why there are always inebriated fellows in bus stations – they’re not ‘alkies’ at all, they’ve simply been on wine tasting tours.

It costs €15 to join the wine tasting bus and you can reserve a place by phoning 922 56 40 66.

The bus leaves Santa Cruz at  08.45 on Saturday 7th November

See www.rutasyvinos.com for more details (I'm sure they'll have their site up to date before the bus leaves).

Concerts on Tenerife: Madel, Hijos de Eden Heart to Heart Tour

If you haven’t been to any local concerts yet, now is you’re chance to dip your toes in the island’s rock scene. Singer Madel is performing three concerts on Tenerife this month as part of his ‘Heart to Heart’ tour.

I have no idea what Madel sounds like, but Spanish language site Tinerguia describe his style as being a mix of romantic pop and melodic rock with a nod to the blues and Latino thrown in for good measure.

And as the concerts are free, it doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t turn out to be your sort of thing. These events are nothing less than an interesting little experience at worst.

Locations, Dates and Times:
Friday 6th November, 21.00, Auditorio Teobaldo Power, La Orotava
Wednesday 11th November, 20.00, Ateneo de la La Laguna, Plaza de la Catedral 3, La Laguna
Thursday 19th November, 20.30, La Trinidad Tram Station, La Laguna

Events on Tenerife - ExpoInfancia 2009, Children’s Fair in Santa Cruz

If anything to do with rugrats makes you go all goo-goo, gaa-gaa then you might be interested in hearing about ExpoInfancia 2009 at the Recinto Ferial (Trade Fair Centre) in Santa Cruz.

The fair covers everything to do with children from clothes to wear when they’re a bulge in the belly to changing the classy sports car for a boring family model and decorating their rooms to arranging parties – I’m not sure if there are any stalls dedicated to how to get rid of them when they’re still a drain on finances long after they should have flown the coop.

If you’re like me and subscribe to the W.C Fields approach to kiddiewinkles, then you’ll probably have something better to do during the 3 days of the fair.

Dates: 20th to 22nd November

Times: 11.00 to 21.00

Entrance: €2