The island of Tenerife is home to some of the most exciting festivals in the world. Each year hundreds of festivals take place, celebrating religious and folk traditions, film, music and dance. Attending one of these festivals is a great way to get acquainted with traditional and contemporary Canarian culture.
If you’re planning a trip to Tenerife this year, here is a quick guide to just a handful of the island’s most popular festivals.
Nochevieja
For a great way to see in the New Year, Tenerife hosts lavish street parties and giant fireworks displays. The wonderful year-round warm weather is perfect for outdoor celebrations. There are Nochevieja parties all over the island, but for the bigger street parties, head to the larger cities of La Laguna and Santa Cruz.
Carnaval
March is a busy festival period in Tenerife, not least with the island’s Tenerife Carnaval. In Santa Cruz each year this (originally pagan) festival is a wonderful place to see typical Canarian costume, dance, music, folk tales and cultural traditions. People flock to join the parade through the city streets, culminating in one huge street party to end the day’s celebrations.
Semana Santa and Pascua - Holy Week and Easter
Another big celebration in March is the week-long Easter celebrations of Semana Santa, or Holy Week. This is a very important festival all over Spain, where Easter week is celebrated in a series of day-long processions through city streets. Huge floats depicting scenes from Easter week are carried through the island’s towns by teams of solemnly marching men. Musicians follow these beautiful processions, and traditional foods are sold in the streets. Whole families go out each night to see the festivities and join in their local procession.
Semana Santa celebrations are held all over the island of Tenerife, in towns of every size. The largest and most impressive of the processions can be found in La Laguna, but significant displays can also be seen in Santa Cruz, Garachio and Puerto de la Cruz.
Corpus Christi
A little later in the year, in June, come the celebrations of Corpus Christi. This is another religious festival that takes place all over Spain and Tenerife island, only this time commemorating the Eucharist. You will see the streets decked in a carpet of vibrant flowers, with processions through the streets. Traditionally, the most impressive scenes are found in La Orotava and its Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Fiesta de San Juan
Later in June, the Fiesta de San Juan takes place along the beaches of Puerto de la Cruz where huge bonfires are lit along the coast. Music is at the heart of this celebration of the summer solstice, and festivities last through the night. At daybreak, it’s traditional to bathe in the warm morning sea as part of an ages-old purification ritual.
For Tenerife holidays visit Monarch’s website where accommodation ranges from the affordable Palia Don Pedro Aparthotel to the palatial, five star Hotel Jardines de Nivaria. |
