The Party’s Over in Puerto de la Cruz – Fiestas on Tenerife, Mueca 2010

Some bad news for aficionados of some of Puerto de la Cruz’s more contemporary fiestas; the surreal and wonderful street arts festival, Mueca won’t be taking place this year (2010). The other fiesta victim (at this point) is the Ecological Cine Festival.

Anyone who’s been in Puerto for the Mueca festival will know that it attracts thousands of people to the town and adds a modern flavour to Tenerife first city of tourism.

The reason for its temporary demise is said to be financial, but we’ll have to wait and see what else falls under the butcher of El Hierro’s cleaver.

It makes a bit of a mockery of those misguided newspaper reports who were crowing that with Marcos Brito getting back into power, things would start to get moving in the town.

The plaza café shut on New Year’s Eve because of a strike, Playa Jardín café and toilets shut for the same reason, fiestas cancelled…

I think I’d better revise my definition of ‘getting things moving’.

Fiestas on Tenerife – Fiestas de San Antonio Abad in Buenavista del Norte and La Matanza

If you want to see lots of people in traditional costume and a gathering of animals of such magnitude that you’ll be wondering if there’s an ark nearby, then La Matanza and Buenavista del Norte are the places to be over the next couple of weekends.

Buenavista del Norte holds their romería on the 17th January, but more interesting is the animal fair a week later on 24th (dates to be confirmed as the general fiesta info on Buenavista’s website says the fiesta takes place on the last two Sundays of January, but tradionally the romería de San Abad takes place on the Sunday closest to the 17th, and the Feria de Ganado a week later – which would make it on the 24th).

An even bigger animal gathering takes place in the highlands of La Matanza on the last three Sundays of January (17th, 24th & 31st). Oxen, horses, donkeys, goats, dogs, lizards, ferrets, rabbits and the occasional snake mingle with the crowds at this very, very traditional fiesta up in the northern hills. The main day, the Octava Ganadera takes place on the second Sunday.

Fiestas on Tenerife – Fiestas de San Sebastián in La Caleta, Adeje

It’s a different saint who’s being celebrated at Playa de la Enramada beside La Caleta in Adeje, but there are still animals involved.
Visitors to the plush hotels on the Costa Adeje side of Playa de la Enramada don’t often usually encounter much signs of Canarian culture on the upmarket resort’s streets. So it can come as a bit of a shock, and not necessarily a pleasant one going by some previous comments on some forums about Tenerife, when hordes of horsemen appear on the beach to ride their steeds into the sea.


God forbid that the real Tenerife should intrude on someone’s beach time.

For those wanting to experience a 'real' Tenerife experience, it's a fascinating sight.

Fiestas on Tenerife – Romería de San Antonio Abad in Arona

Next up for parades, dances firework displays and general all round fun is old Arona Town in the south of the island. The main romería takes place from the 17th January at midday, but there are events taking place all weekend.

Fiestas on Tenerife – Romería de San Antonio Abad in Los Realejos

The animals are out in force this month as the fiestas start to roll out thick and fast.

First off the mark is the Romería de San Antonio Abad in Tigaiga in Los Realejos on the 16th of January. Expect lots of people in costume, roaming bands of singers strumming their timples and a saint on a plinth.

Music on Tenerife - Monica Naranjo in Adeje

Some people regularly ask why there aren’t more big names in music playing concerts on Tenerife. The easy answer is that there are, but if you’re British, they might not be a big name to you.

Spanish singer Monica Naranjo has sold millions of records in Spain, the United States and in Latin America, but somehow I don’t see the streets of Las Américas emptying of tourists when she plays the Magma Arte & Congresos Centre in Adeje later this month (that’s the Las Américas part of Adeje for all you out there who, like me, are no longer sure what is Adeje and what is Las Americas).

Date: Saturday 23rd January

Venue: Magma Arte & Congresos, Adeje (just beside the Las Américas bus station)

Time: 9.30pm

Tickets: €32 to €42

Music on Tenerife – 50 Cent in Tenerife

Now that the Christmas period is over and the Three Kings and their camels have trotted into the sunset, we can get back to finding out what interesting events, concerts and fiestas are coming Tenerife’s way in 2010.

It’ll cost a lot more than 50 Cents to get in and see the famous and  sometimes controversial US rapper 50 Cent, but at least you’ve got time to save up the centimos as his concert doesn’t take place until March

Date: Saturday, 27th March

Venue: Recinto Ferial, Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Time: 7pm

Tickets: €30 to €60

Buy tickets here