Fiestas on Tenerife, Fiestas Lustrales in Garachico

 Not quite a once in a lifetime event, but as it takes place only every five years, it’s the next best thing. Garachico has been celebrating its Fiestas Lustrales since Thursday 22nd July, but the literal highlight will be the Fuegos del Risco on Sunday 1st August from 21.45 when balls of fire are due to be rolled down the hillside in a re-enactment of sorts of the lave flows which changed the town’s fortunes in 1706.

This is one I haven’t seen, so I’ll definitely be there. I passed through yesterday and Garachico, decked out like something out of a fairy tale, is looking good enough to eat.

Fiestas on Tenerife, Dia de la Trilla

 It’s time to pull on the dungarees (not compulsory), plonk a straw hat on your head (essential in the heat) and stick a piece of straw between your teeth and head into the hills for the wonderful Dia de la Trilla near San José de los Llanos.

It’s not the biggest fiesta on the island and don’t expect ‘carnaval’ type fun as it involves a fascinating display of the traditional way of threshing wheat. Starting with humans then progressing to lively steeds and lumbering oxen.
It's Small, intimate (muscling past caballeros is essential to get a beer at the bar) and an insight to the life that exists in rural Tenerife.

Date: Saturday 31st July (from mid-morning is probably best time to be there – the beer can run out by early afternoon).

Festivals on Tenerife – Festival de Candelaria

Another festival on Tenerife which has been taking place for some time is the Festival de Candelaria. It started on the 25th June and finishes on the 31st July (gives them time for a bit of a breather before their next huge fiesta mid August).

The festival on Tenerife’s east coast has attracted some major names in music world such as Bo Selecta - Craaaig Davies. This year’s big name, Rosana, may not ring any bells amongst many British residents and visitors, but the Lanzarote born songstress has sold more that 6 million albums around the world. Rosana’s concert closes the festival on the 31st July (10pm).

Between now and then there are also folklore concerts, processions and Hip-Hop competitions.

See Full Agenda Here (in Spanish)

Festivals on Tenerife - Sansofé 2010, Granadilla de Abona

We’re a bit late getting the Sansofé 2010 programme for Granadilla de Abona on Tenerife Matters as it started on the 1st on July.

However, as the sports events, concerts and exhibitions which form Sansofé continue until the end of August there's still loads to enjoy.

Highlights include Granadilla de Abona’s new talent competition on the 13th, 14th and 15th august (El Médano), the folklore concerts from 16th to the 22nd August (El Médano), the Kite Boarding World championship between the 9th and 14th August (El Médano) and the closing concert with K-narias at 9pm on the 28th August.

See Here for Full Programme of Events (in Spanish)

Festivals on Tenerife – Eólica 2010

Like a number of other popular festivals on Tenerife, the Eólica Festival which won a ‘Greener Festival’ award last year, is the latest victim of the crisis affecting Spain at the moment. There won’t be a festival this year.

The good news is that the concert will return in July 2011.

Food on Tenerife - Sea Urchins...Eat Them

Forgive the groan inducing title, but this is should be of interest to those adventurous foodies out there.

From the 23rd to the 25th July the Hotel Escuela Santa Cruz is offering a very imaginative menu based on the erizo del mar...that's sea urchin to you and me.

For €28 you get to try sea urchin croquettes, sea urchin salad, sea urchin with guacamole, sea urchin and rice, fish with sea urchin sauce. Wisely I feel, they've opted to leave the sea urchins out of the dessert choices.

It's an interesting menu for sure and sounds so much more enticing in Spanish...croquetitas de diadema de mar anyone?

Fiestas on Tenerife – Admiral Nelson Attacks Santa Cruz…Again

Even an economic crisis can’t stop an old warhorse. Admiral Nelson’s troops will once again try to take the city of Santa Cruz at the end of July…and will once again fail. You’d have thought they’d have learned by now.

Troops in 18th century uniforms will be marching through the capital’s streets on Friday 23rd July at 6pm and with a recreation of the battle taking place in front of the auditorium on Saturday 24th July at midday before fighting spreads into the streets around the Noria district at 8pm. Fighting on the streets on a Saturday night – it’ll almost be like being back in Blighty.

The British troops finally admit defeat on Sunday 25th July at midday in Plaza Candelaria and everyone shakes hands, well maybe not Nelson,  like the perfect gentlemen they were in those days.

Bravo!

Music Festivals on Tenerife – Heineken Canarias Jazz & Más 2010

If you're of the school that thinks Jazz is cool, then July is the time to visit the island of eternal springtime (some places must have seriously hot springtimes). The Heineken Canarias Jazz & Más festival lasts from the 8 - 18th July and there are ten concerts on Tenerife between those dates.

9 July, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Plaza del Auditorio, 10pm,free entrance
CÉU
FUNKFARRIA

10 July 2010, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Plaza del Auditorio, 10pm, free entrance
FRANK GAMBALE G-FORCE BAND
THREE

12 July 2010, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Auditorio de Tenerife, 9pm, tickets €25
DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER TO BILLIE HOLIDAY WITH LOVE: A Celebration of 'Lady Day'

13 July, Santa Cruz de Tenerife,Auditorio de Tenerife, 9pm, tickets €10
MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTE,
ARI HOENIG TRIO

14 July, Puerto de La Cruz, Plaza Europa, 9pm, free entrance
African Night with ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO & YUL BALLESTEROS QUARTET

15 July, Puerto de La Cruz, Plaza Europa, 9pm, free entrance
JACQUES SCHWARZ BART QUARTET
JOSE ALBERTO MEDINA - J.A.M. TRIO

16  July, Puerto de La Cruz, Plaza Europa, 9pm, free entrance
GERALD TOTO
CHRISTIAN SCOTT QUINTET

17 July, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Auditorio de Tenerife, 9pm, tickets €20
GONZALO RUBALCABA QUINTET

18 July, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Auditorio de Tenerife, 9pm, tickets €25
MARCUS MILLER TUTU REVISITED

Buy Tickets For Canarias Jazz & Más 2010 Here

Concerts on Tenerife – Music From the Cinema; Fimucité 2010

You can hardly walk anywhere in Summer on Tenerife without stumbling across a concert of some sort. Fimucité in July should appeal to both film fans and aficionados of classical music.

The main theme of this years festival is the collaboration of John Williams' scores with Steven Spielberg, so lots of rousing Indiana Jones themes, Jurassic Park scores having you looking over your shoulder for a hungry raptor, Close Encouter's mother ship music (Mount Teide would be perfect for that...and you never know what sort of audience it might attract  up there) and the classic Jaws soundtrack (hope they don't play that one too close to any of Tenerife's beaches).

Performances will take place in Santa Cruz and La Laguna (see full programme here) between 5 -10 July.

And like last year, the Fimucité website opening page is a cracker.

Concerts in Tenerife – International World Music Day, Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz plays host to a scorching event to welcome the official start to summer 2010 and a hot season of great musical events on Tenerife.

This Saturday, seven artists and groups take part in the Día Internacional de la Música 2010 concert beside the harbour in Tenerife’s first tourist town.

I’ve got to confess to not knowing any of the artists involved: Los Seis Días (Barcelona), Aaron Thomas (Madrid), Lovey Rita (Sevilla), baden bah! (Salamanca), Bikini Invaders (Tenerife), Fuel Fandango (Lanzarote - Córdoba) and San Leon (Barcelona)

But who the hell cares, I can’t think of a better way to bring in summer than listening to some live music by the harbour in Puerto.

The concert kicks off on Saturday 19th June at 5pm and, get this, is totally free.

Festivals on Tenerife – Santa Blues 2010

Great news for blues fans on Tenerife, it looks as though the Santa Blues festival in Santa Cruz is going ahead this year.
I don't know where Colin Kirby found the information for Tenerife Magazine as I've been scouring cyberworld for weeks looking for the merest mention of one of my favourite festivals of the year, but I'm cock-a-hoop that he did.

The festival seems to chop and change its format on a yearly basis; this year will be held over three consecutive nights between 24th & 26th June. As the San Juan celebrations take place on the 24th June, it promises to be one of the best weeks of the year on Tenerife.

Festival Details

24th June – American blues guitarist and singer, Larry McCray headlines with support acts from  Rojas Blues Band and Esther Ovejero.

25th June - American blues songstress Sandra Hall headlines with The Johnny Perez Trio as support act.

26th June – American swamp blues guitarist and singer Kenny Neal headlines on the final night of the festival with The Tina Rioro Quartet supporting.

Hot blues on sultry summer nights – my idea of festival heaven.

The music kicks off at 9pm each night and the whole shebang is free.

Food on Tenerife – Tapas Route in Puerto de la Cruz

What are they trying to do to us in Tenerife? Summer's on the doorstep, a time to be parading those six packs and shapely curves on the playas (I wish), and here they are tempting us with yet another tapas route.

The second Ruta de Tapas, 'Papeando entre Volcanes' started in Puerto de la Cruz yesterday and will continue until the 6th June by which time it'll be more a case of beer barrels and curves with the consistency of blancmange on the playas if the goodies on offer are anything to go by.

As the title suggests there's a theme running through the tapas on offer with dishes sporting intriguing and poetic names like secreto en erupción, litoral de lava and volcân de sabor y color.

Have a look below to see photos, ingredients and participating restaurants.

Each tapas is €4 including beer, wine or water. It's a bit of a price increase from previous routes, but I'll have to try one to see if it's because portions are bigger which from the look of the photos might be the case.

You need a passport to participate, but these can be picked up at the restaurants, Cámara office or the town hall.

Get these stamped at ten different restaurants and you enter a draw for a fabby prize.

ruterotapacanaria2010

Concerts on Tenerife - Simply Red to Perform at Adeje Golf 2010

 Out of the blue it's been announced that Simply Red will be performing at Adeje Golf on 20th July as part of the Canary Island Festival.

Some tickets went on pre-sale on Thursday, but most will go on sale on 27th May and can be purchased via the Sun Live Festival site.

This is a definite one and has been announced on the official Simply Red website as an addition to their Farewell tour.

This might be one of the last chances you get to see them live...until they reform when the money's too tight to mention.

Culture on Tenerife - Free Entry to Museums on Tenerife

Okay it's a bit last minute, but this is Tenerife where last minute amounts to at least some notice. To celebrate International Museum Day, the Tenerife government have announced that entry to all of the Cabildo's museums on Tenerife is free tomorrow 18th May.

And with prophetic timing, Tenerife Magazine has listed the top ten museums on Tenerife which include quirky and the fun places to learn about the island and which are proof that museums don't have to be stuffy and boring.

Food on Tenerife – Tapas Route 'El Almáciga' in Arona

It's time for tapas lovers to salivate. These tapas routes are becoming more and more popular on Tenerife which is great news for the foodies amongst us. This one involves restaurants around the municipality of Arona in South Tenerife (if you're a bit fuzzy with your Tenerife municipalities, this is the one that Las Américas, Los Cristianos and Las Galletas are all in - although the participating restaurants are all in the towns away from the coast).

With tapas like pescado salteado con ajo y cebolla (salted fish with garlic and onion), cazuela de morcilla al camembert y azafrán canario (Canarian black pudding, camembert and saffron) and sorpresa de calamar de las 7 islas (It's squid, but you'll just have to try it to find out what the surprise is) on offer, methinks it's time to head into the hills.

Click here for list of participating restaurants and tapas dishes.

Dates: From 1st to 13th June

Price: €3.00 for a tapas with glass of wine, beer or water

Festivals on Tenerife – Ritmos del Mundo, Costa Adeje

When does spring end and summer begin? 20th June according to the Ritmos del Mundo poster. This year the all day DJ fest relocates to a little piece of Thailand where you don't have to worry about getting whacked by riot police, in other words Siam Park in Costa Adeje.

It's a perfect venue to bump, grind and shake those booties as Erick Morillo, Real El Canario and a whole host of other DJs bring the sounds of summer to Tenerife.

Tickets: From €26 Buy Your Ticket Here

Activities on Tenerife – Win 3 Free Rounds of Golf at Isla de Golf Courses

Bad news for golf widows, Tenerife Magazine's latest fab prize is three free rounds of golf on three different, stunning Isla de Golf courses (Buenavista Golf, Golf Costa Adeje, Golf las Americas, Golf del Sur and Tecina Golf).

Good news for golfers though, to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is become a fan of Tenerife Magazine on Facebook.

Competition closes 2nd June 2010

Fiestas on Tenerife – Corpus Christi Flower Carpets, La Orotava

Want a sneak preview of this year's design for the huge sand and soil tapestry which is due to be laid outside the town hall in La Orotava to celebrate Corpus Christi? Admittedly, it's hardly a sneak preview now that the council have announced it on their website, but what the hell...it just sounds better.

This year to commemorate the year of the priests which ends on the 19th June, the theme of the design is the last supper. Well the last supper, a handful of flowers and 18 butterflies, which are a rather nice and colourful distraction from the religious solemnity of the main images.

Looks as though it's going to be one of the most vibrant sand carpets yet.

Concerts on Tenerife – The Beach Boys

Who needs Whitney when we’ve got the likes of The Beach Boys rolling into Santa Cruz on their surf boards (probably more like zimmer frames these days) in July to fill the capitol’s streets with their easy Californian sounds.

I wonder if they’ll sing ‘I wish they all could be Candelaria girls’.

Date: 7th July 2010

Venue:  Pabellón Insular de Tenerife Santiago Martín, Santa Cruz

Time: 9pm

Tickets: From €25 Buy Tickets Here

Concerts on Tenerife – David Bisbal in Santa Cruz

If you live on Tenerife and haven’t heard of David Bisbal then you clearly never, ever watch Spanish TV as his likeable mug is on at least one of the main channels every day of the week. He’s a sort of Spanish version of Robbie Williams but without the love it or hate it arrogance.
When English language speakers talk about big names playing Tenerife they often overlook the Spanish music scene – David Bisbal with his catchy blend of flamenco poprock is a big name and he’s singing somewhere in Santa Cruz in September.

Date: 25th September 2010

Time: 10pm

Location: Santa Cruz (possibly Parque Marítimo César Manrique)

Tickets: From €23 Buy Tickets Here