Music Festivals on Tenerife – Tensamba 2010

The Brazilian music festival Tensamba promises to bring some spice to Tenerife during spring and early summer. Tenerife joins the likes of Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris and Madrid in celebrating that pulsating Brazilian beat between April and June.

On Tenerife there are concerts planned in Santa Cruz, La Laguna, El Sauzal, La Victoria and La Orotava.

However, one of the highlights must be the Tensamba Festival in Puerto de la Cruz on 8th May between 5pm and 2am the following morning when there are batucada and capoira exhibitions whilst the best of Brazil's DJ's rock the port with a sexy electro samba party.

Dates: From 16th April to 12th June

See Full Programme of Concerts Here

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.

Sport on Tenerife Half Marathon Las Galletas (XIV Medio Maratón de Las Galletas)

It’s run in the sun time in the south of Tenerife. The 14th Las Galletas half marathon takes place next month. 21 kilometres under a damn hot, if not searing, sun.

I become a sweaty bit of mess if I do the slightest bit of gardening, so running in Tenerife’s temperatures seems bordering on the insane.

But for those of you mad enough to enter, the time to beat is 1:04:11 if you’re a man and 1:13:30 if you’re a woman.

At least, unlike the race the week before, you can wear some clothes for this one.

Time: 9am

Date: 11th April

Place: Las Galletas

See the website for more details

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

Events on Tenerife – Walking over the Peak in Santiago del Teide

Anyone who tells you that La Gomera is what Tenerife used to be like hasn’t spent much time in the hills on the island. There are plenty of places where life has hardly changed in eons.

Take the hamlets around Santiago del Teide for instance. On any day of the year you’ll normally find old women in straw and men in fedoras harvesting their crops by hand. On the 11th April they’ll be taking another step back in time by reintroducing an old custom, Al Paso de la Cumbre – Walking over the Peak.

This wonderful, if leg muscle testing, tradition involves local merchants in traditional costume traipsing along old trading routes with their livestock and produce such as cheese, honey and wine to trade with other villages.
On the 11th, they’ll reach Santiago del Teide.

So if you want to witness the old Tenerife that still exists in the hillsides, save yourself the ferry fare to La Gomera and head up to Santiago del Teide next month.

Note: We’ll post more details when they become available.

Get Ready to Bounce, Jiggle and Wiggle – It’s the First Nude Race on Tenerife ( I Carrera Nudista VKS)

Okay, this one has got to be seen to be believed; next month sees the first Carrera Nudista at Playa de la Tejita near El Médano.

In truth contestants won’t be completely nude, runners are allowed to wear hats, sunglasses, socks and shoes – so a modicum of decency then – anything else and they’ll be disqualified.

The race is organised by the people behind the Xtreme race in Puerto de la Cruz last weekend and whilst that was great fun to watch, the 3 kilometre nudist race promises to be even more…ahem…eye-catching.

I’m intrigued to see how man people will actually take part – I mean nude running has great comic potential.

If you fancy giving your white bits a bit of an airing and a run-out it’s €10 to take part. Don't forget to slap on plenty of suncream on sensitive bits.

I could get a fit of the giggles just thinking about it. I’ve got to go and get some pictures.

Date: 4th April

Place: Playa de la Tejita

Time: 10am