6 festivals that you shouldn’t miss in Tenerife
Tenerife is synonymous with festivities and fun, and it is also fortunate in having a warm climate that invites you to spend long hours celebrating in the street. The charm of the island lies not only in its landscape, with the imposing Teide volcano and the beautiful Costa Adeje beaches, but also in its traditions. The best thing about having such a large island is the variety of festivals that we find throughout Tenerife.
The island is home to traditions that date back hundreds of years. If you want to know which festivities you shouldn’t miss and when they take place to see whether they coincide with your visit, be sure to take note, because none of them will leave you indifferent.
February: Tenerife Carnival
We start in February with one of the best known festivals in Tenerife: Carnival. This internationally famous event is one of the most popular in Spain and is lived to the full by the residents of Tenerife. The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 1980. But the island has a multitude of other carnivals. The towns of La Laguna, Arona, La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Realejos and Tacoronte also have their own carnivals, in which residents and visitors participate.
As you can see, it is one of the most eagerly awaited celebrations for local residents and tourists from all over the world, who travel to the capital to enjoy a unique experience. During Carnival, competitions between murgas (groups of people singing) are held for children and adults and three Carnival Queens are chosen: one child, one adult and one senior. Carnival costumes and bright colours fill the streets of the city during these festive days, especially during the cavalcade, a festival that fills the streets. But all celebrations must come to an end. The Tenerife Carnival concludes with the traditional Burial of the Sardine, when the residents of Tenerife start the countdown to next year’s carnival.
May: Canary Islands Day
We continue our tour of Tenerife’s festivities and come to May 30th, when we celebrate Canary Islands Day. This day marks the anniversary of the first session of the Canary Islands Parliament, based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on 30 May 1983. This is a public holiday in the Canary Islands and cultural activities are organised for audiences of all kinds, while residents dressed in traditional Canary Island costumes can be seen in the streets. This is a date when Canary Islanders proudly celebrate their values and identity.
June: Corpus Christi in La Orotava
The traditions of the Corpus Christi festival in the town of La Orotava date back to the seventeenth century. Since then, the residents have made carpets of flowers every year to welcome the procession that passes through the streets of this beautiful town. These creations have become very popular over the years and are of great artistic value. The event was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 1980.
July: Our Lady of Mount Carmel
July 16 is one of the most eagerly awaited dates in summer in many coastal towns throughout Spain. The celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of sailors, is a very popular holiday in Tenerife, which is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The event is celebrated in particularly moving fashion in Puerto de la Cruz. Thousands of people gather around the fishing pier every 16 July to see how the Virgin arrives, is carried on board and taken along the coast.
August: La Candelaria
As you will have noticed, many of the festivities in Tenerife are Catholic in origin. In August we pay tribute to another of the island’s most popular virgins: Our Lady of the Candle. On 15 August we celebrate La Candelaria, which is considered a Festival of International Tourist Interest. Pilgrims come along the island’s roads and over the mountains to Candelaria, the municipality that bears the virgin’s name, to see the Our Lady of the Candle. An event of special historical interest is the Guanche Ceremony, which dates back to the eighteenth century, a dramatised recreation of the discovery of a statue of the Virgin by Guanche goatherds.
November: Las Tablas Festival
And, as the end of the year approaches, we celebrate Saint Andrew’s Day, on 30 November. In the town of Icod de los Vinos, the Las Tablas Festival is held every year, a celebration of rural origin in which young people and adults slide down one of the streets of the town on wooden boards, while the area’s wine makers uncork wines from the latest vintage.
If you’d like to enjoy one of these festivals in person, go and pack your suitcase and camera; we’re ready to welcome you. You can stay with your family at the Bahía Princess hotel or, if you prefer to enjoy the celebrations with adults only, our Guayarmina Princess hotel is the ideal place to spend a few days relaxing and having fun.
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