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).

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!

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.

Fiestas on Tenerife: Romerías de San Isidro in Valle Guerra, Mercedes, Granadilla de Abona & Arguayo

I’ve got a question for anyone who lives on Tenerife who hasn’t actually seen a traditional romería – how have you managed to avoid them? From May onwards you can hardly go anywhere without tripping over a cart decorated with fruit and flowers pulled by a couple of seriously big bovines.

They’re great fun and will make anyone who believes that Tenerife has been completely engulfed by tourism think again. The real Tenerife is alive, kicking and having a whale of a time. If you don’t believe me head to Valle Guerra on 9th May, Granadilla de Abona on 15th May, Arguayo in the south west on 16th May or Mercedes on 30th May and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Fiestas on Tenerife – Fiesta de la Cruz – Firework Fiesta, Los Realej

Don’t forget that one of Europe’s longest firework displays takes place on Monday 3rd May in Los Realejos.

When I say longest I mean it – it can last from somewhere between 9pm and 10pm (it depends how long the procession which precedes the display takes) until about 1am. Not that there are fireworks exploding consistently. The historic pyrotechnic battle between two rival streets in the town takes place in stages and there can be quite long gaps between displays.

Don’t forget to take a jacket as Los Realejos’ slopes are still a bit on the cool side at this time of year.

Fiestas on Tenerife: Fiestas de Mayo 2010 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

It's a month of partying in Tenerife's capital, Santa Cruz to celebrate the founding of the city way, way back in 1492 (wasn't that when Columbus sailed the ocean blue?)

Just as it does during carnaval, the city explodes into life with a heady mix of traditional, contemporary and sporting events.

The fun kicks off this Friday and the highlights to look out for are: Election of the fiesta queen (Plaza Candelaria, 9pm, Saturday 25th April); traditional flower exhibition (Parque García Sanabria, 6pm, Wednesday 28th April) and the dance of the magos (Calle La Noria, 9pm, Sunday 2nd May).

It seems to me that this year's celebrations are more traditional and less contemporary than in previous years.

For the full line up of activities see here (Spanish only)

Fiestas on Tenerife: Party Time in Tegueste – The Romería de San Marcos

Tegueste is a lovely little town near La Laguna and it's currently holding celebrations in honour of San Marcos Evangelista.

The highlight of the revelling is the romería on Sunday. It's as big a romería was as you'll find anywhere on Tenerife and boasts some of the most elaborately decorated carts. As romerías go, it also has a very young and trendy feel to it and is quite a party. I for one shall be there with my little  romería glass partaking of the free wine.

Date: Sunday 25th April

Time: From 1pm, but get there earlier if you want a parking space within 1 mile of the town.

Easter on Tenerife – The Passion in Adeje

Anyone who really wants to experience how Easter (Semana Santa) is celebrated on Tenerife shouldn’t have far to travel to find out. There are processions and events in every town during Easter week.

Normally the biggest and best fiestas are in the northern parts of Tenerife and a bit of a hike for the majority of tourists who stay in the south of the island, but Adeje’s depiction of The Passion of Christ is one of the main events of the holidays.

About 300 of the local townspeople take part in a stirring and re-enactment of The Passion on Adeje town’s old streets – a hop, skip and a jump from the biggest resorts.

Time and Place: Good Friday (2nd April) from midday in Calle Grande, Adeje Town

Fiestas on Tenerife – Easter on Tenerife; Semana Santa in La Laguna

It’s time to get the big pointy hats out on Tenerife – no it’s not carnaval, or Halloween and anyone expecting big Easter celebrations in the more traditional towns on Tenerife are going to be disappointed.

However, anyone wanting to witness a truly emotive event will be left breathless by the spectacle of the Semana Santa processions, especially in La Laguna. The city’s atmospheric historic streets are given added resonance when brotherhoods carrying full size crucifixes silently parade through them.

The most emotional events are the ‘Magna’ and ‘Silent’ processions on Viernes Santos (Good Friday) afternoon and evening respectively.

Date: Friday 2ndApril

Time: The Magna procession leaves the Iglesia de la Concepción at 17.00, the Silent procession sets off begins at 21.30

Carnaval on Tenerife - La Laguna, La Orotava, Los Cristianos & Los Gigantes

Although the Carnaval spotlight tends to fall on Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz, towns all over Tenerife hold Carnavals. Although in some places you’d never know it. La Laguna has just launched a new tourist website and guess what… no mention of their carnaval. The British Guild of Travel Writers who have just held their AGM on the island would be amazed at the number of ‘tricks missed’ when it comes to promoting events on the island. But gripes aside here are the dates for some other carnavals (I’ll add more if I manage to wheedle them out of an informant up a dark back alley – you think I’m joking?)

La Laguna – The theme is ‘rumoured’ to be Triton, King of the Seas and it will take place from the 13th to the 20th February.

Los Gigantes, Santiago del Teide – Another official ayuntamiento website which has overlooked including its carnaval details despite having main tourist resorts in their municipality. However the carnaval is due to take place in Los Gigantes between 26th February and 1st March.

Los Cristianos, Arona – Hat’s off to Arona Ayuntamiento who have included a full list of events on their website (the Spanish version anyway)

The theme is Viva Mexico and carnaval takes place between the 5th (election of the carnaval queen at 20.00 in the cultural centre) and 14th March 2010 (closing parade at 17.00). There are also open air dances on 13th and 14th as well.

La Orotava – God bless La Orotava. Tenerife’s classiest town knows that a website isn’t just for posting a smug looking photo of the mayor’s boat race (that’s ‘face’ - for anyone out there not au fait with Cockney rhyming slang).

With a Circus theme and a gorgeous poster, La Orotava’s carnaval runs from 13th February until 20th February. The highlights are the closing parade (from 16.30 on 16th February), the funeral procession and burning of…no not a giant sardine this time…St Crispin -don’t know what he did to upset the good people of La Orotava (21.00 on 17th February) and the end of carnaval dance (23.00 on the 20th February).

And don't forget to check out our Real Tenerife Carnaval page for tips on how to get the best out of carnaval

Carnaval on Tenerife 2010 - Puerto de la Cruz

Given the political shenanigans in Puerto de la Cruz this year and allegations of ‘black lists’ of workers who didn’t vote for the current council (that'll be the majority of people then), ‘masking up’ for Carnaval may feel closer to the fiesta’s roots this time around. Still that should make it even more fun and hopefully a bit anarchic.

Main Events

Thursday 11th February
21.00 - Election of the Carnaval Queen, Plaza de Europa.
Saturday 13th February
21.00 Opening Parade
22.30 - Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina and Calle Perdomo.
Sunday 14th February
Midday - Children’s Fancy Dress Competition, Plaza de Europa.
20.30 - Adult Fancy Dress Competition, Plaza de Europa.
22.00 - Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina and Calle Perdomo.
Monday 15 February
18.30 - “Matar la Culebra” (Kill the Snake)
22.30  - Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina and Calle Perdomo.
Tuesday 16th of February
13.00 - Antique Car Exhibition, Avenida Colon.
22.30 - Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina and Calle Perdomo.
Wednesday 17th February
21.00 - “Entierro de la Sardina” (Burial of the Sardine
23.00 - Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina and Calle Perdomo.
Friday 19th February
20.30 – Enrollment for the High Heels Marathon ‘Mascarita Ponte Tacon’ in Plaza del Charco.
22.00 – Start of the High Heels Marathon (yeah, maybe).
23.30 - Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina and Calle Perdomo.
Saturday 20th February
16.00 – Closing Parade
20.00 - Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina and Calle Perdomo.

Carnaval on Tenerife 2010 – Santa Cruz de Tenerife

It’s time to dig out those old clothes, rip up old curtains to make a sexy outfit and paint your face all the colours of the rainbow…or instead of dressing up for a normal Saturday night down the ‘patch’ in Las Américas, you could put on fancy dress and head to carnaval.
The biggest and the brashest is in the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife from Friday 12th February till Sunday the 21st. Officially it ends with the ‘Burial of the Sardine’ on Wednesday 17th February, but think of it a bit like a Quentin Tarantino movie and you should get the gist.

And great news, they did use the Chimp in the bikini poster after all.

Main Events

Wednesday 10th February
21:30 – Election of the Carnaval Queen, Internatiol Fair & Congress Centre
Friday 12th February
19:00 - Cabalgata Anunciadora (Opening Parade)
22:30 – Open air party in Plazas del Príncipe, Europa & La Candelaria
Saturday 13th February
20:00 - Mini Parade
22:30 – Open air party in Plazas del Príncipe, Europa & La Candelaria
Sunday 14th February
20:00 - Mini Parade
22:30 - Open air party in Plaza de La Candelaria
Monday 15th February
20:00 - Mini Parade
22:30 – Open air party in Plazas del Príncipe, Europa & La Candelaria
Tuesday 16th February
16:00 - Coso Apoteosis (Closing Parade)
22:30 - Open air party in Plaza de La Candelaria
21:00 – Firework display
Wednesday 17th February
21:00 - Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine)
22:30 - Open air party in Plaza de La Candelaria
Friday 19th February
22:30 – Open air party in Plazas del Príncipe, Europa & La Candelaria
Saturday 20th February
13:00 - Carnaval de Día – Carnaval of Colour
18.00 - Coso Infantil (Children’s Parade)
21:30 - Open air party in Plazas del Príncipe, Europa & La Candelaria
Sunday 21st February
10:00 – Antique car exhibition
17:00 – End of Carnaval Fiesta, Círculo de Amistad XII de Enero
22:00 - Open air party in Plaza de La Candelaria
21:30 – Firework display on Avenida Marítima

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.

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).