La Laguna to remember the victims of the Los Rodeos plane crash in the San Juan cemetery

Cementerio de San Juan Bautista, La Laguna Mataparda / CC BY

The City Council will place a monolith and a plaque in the place where those people who died in the worst accident in the history of aviation rest and who could not be identified.

The Department of Cemeteries of the City Council of La Laguna, led by Cristina Ledesma, has started the process to place a monolith and a plaque in the Cementerio de San Juan Bautista in tribute to the 583 people who lost their lives in the largest plane crash in history, which occurred 43 years ago at the Los Rodeos airport. These recognitions will be located in the place where the remains of many of the victims are located, who also have a sculpture in their memory in the municipality on the Mesa Mota mountain.

“It is an act of justice to preserve the memory of the victims of that accident who were buried in a grave in the San Juan cemetery, without being able to be identified, with the future monument and the plaque, but also by sprucing up the plot where these remains can be found”. "All of them are part of history for this terrible event and we want to carry out this initiative out of respect for them and their families, who lost their loved ones without having the opportunity to say goodbye in an appropriate way," she adds.

The event took place on March 27, 1977 and was caused by the collision between two Boeing 747 aircraft. The accident has the highest number of fatalities in aviation history, with 583 passengers losing their lives and just 61 surviving.

La Laguna recordará a las víctimas del accidente aéreo de Los Rodeos en el cementerio de San Juan (Via)

Cementerio de San Juan La Laguna Tenerife

Güímar Hillclimb 2020 Suspended

Another event on the Rally Calendar, the Güímar Hillclimb, that was to have taken place this weekend, has now been suspended.

In a statement, organisers said that, given the current health situation, as well as the requirements imposed by the Government of the Canary Islands in terms of the prevention of contagion of COVID-19, they have made the decision to SUSPEND the 47th Ascent to the Mirador de Güímar - Tenerife Island. 

The event had already been postponed from July and, additionally, their efforts were truncated by not being able to find the necessary financial support to be able to celebrate with all the demands that are required today. 

We can merely bring you a little snippet of the action from last year.

46º SUBIDA A GÜÍMAR 2019

The City of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is left without its "usual" Carnival in 2021 after eliminating dances and contests

Carnival Parade in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2019

The Councillor of Fiestas indicates that only the election of the Carnival Queen and group exhibitions would be held, which will last throughout the year for tourism

Santa Cruz de Tenerife will be without Carnival "as we know it" in 2021. It will not have dances at night in the streets, nor Daytime Carnivals, nor the fair, nor contests. Although it's expected that there will be a gala for the election of the carnival queen, it would be the only contest that would take place and this would be outdoors. The program would be completed with some group exhibitions. This "Carnival experience" will last approximately a week.

Faced with the uncertainty caused by the Covid 19 coronavirus pandemic, councilor Alfonso Cabello affirmed that next year, Santa Cruz will not be able to enjoy its Carnival "as usual, unless the situation changes a lot and we have a vaccine." "Hopefully I can see our Carnival again in this mandate as it has always been," he added.

Regarding the dates, he also clarified that it is not yet completely decided if this "Carnival experience" will take place in April or July, although the Councilor anticipates that it will be held after Easter. "Companies in the events sector prefer April and Carnival groups, July. The final decision will be made between September and October," he said.

What is clear, he added, is that "it will not be a traditional Carnival, because, in principle, there will be no dances in the street, neither night or day; no mass performances; no fair; nor contests." "We have to think that it will be a different party, that it will last approximately a week and in which there will be no crowds. Our intention is that the Queen can be chosen and that there will be a stellar performance at the gala. The rest of the program will be formed of exhibitions led by the groups," he said.

Responding to a request by Ashotel (Hotel Association of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro), these exhibitions will continue throughout the year for tourists so that carnival may generate revenue during the 365 days of the year. "We will create a brand so that this lasts beyond a week. The economic amounts that we give to the carnival groups (murgas, comparsas, groups and rondallas) correspond to the performances they carry out. As in 2021 there will not be contests, we can take advantage of exhibitions, for example for cruise passengers when they arrive at the port, throughout the year," explained Cabello.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife se quedará sin su Carnaval "de siempre" al eliminar bailes y concursos

[NB: Parades are not mentioned, but if there are to be no crowds, then we should probably assume that there will also not be any of the parades in the streets next year either.

Concern in the Canary Islands about the five hurricanes moving across the Atlantic

Five hurricanes (stock image)

The hurricanes that are currently active - the 5 tropical cyclones in the Atlantic at the same time for only the second time in history - will not affect the archipelago, but AEMET does not rule out the arrival of a cyclonic episode before the end of October.

The delegate of the State Meteorological Agency in the Canary Islands, Jesús Agüera, has made an assurance that the hurricanes that have formed in recent days in the Atlantic will not reach the archipelago, although the agency has not ruled out that, before the end of the season, the islands may be affected by any of these phenomena.

Preocupación en Canarias por los cinco huracanes que se desplazan por el Atlántico

[ED: Could 2020 get any worse? No, DON'T answer that!]

Comparsa Danzarines Canarios 2020

Comparsa Danzarines Canarios 2020

The comparsa groups epitomise the spirit of carnival with all they impart in their 'colour, joy and rhythm [...] with exuberant costumes and sonorous drums.' This is Comparsa Danzarines Canarios' performance at the Comparsas Contest in 2020.

Carnival 2021: Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has been postponed to the second quarter of 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The city council will choose the final date in September 2020 and in consensus with the carnival groups. Three options are currently being considered: April, May or July 2021. New dates will be listed here.



Los Danzarines Canarios | Comparsas Adultas | S/C Tenerife 2020

Carnivals of the World: La Palma

The quintessential character of this festival is La Negra Tomasa whose arrival triggers the celebration of the Los Indianos festival was devised by Victor Lorenzo Díaz Molina, better known as Sosó.
Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de La Palma / CC BY-SA

For this excursion to the Carnivals of the World - the theme chosen for Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival in 2021, we need only go as far as the neighbouring island of La Palma, where the biggest event of the carnival in the capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma is Los Indianos, normally held on Carnival Monday, the day before Shrove Tuesday. 

The figure of La Negra Tomasa, possibly the most emblematic character of this festival, is certain to offend some people, being a character who is blacked up and in drag, so a little context and history is required to attempt to explain this unique tradition.

Los Indianos is a traditional festival on the island of La Palma that attempts to poke fun at the islanders who had emigrated to Las Indias, that is the West Indies, more specifically to Cuba, and who, on their return, flaunted the wealth they had obtained in those lands. These islanders who had emigrated and returned to the island were labeled "indianos".

In the middle of the afternoon, the parade begins from the Avenida de los Indianos, next to the port, to the Plaza de La Alameda, where the party will continue until the early hours of the morning. The Indianos carry luggage; leather suitcases and trunks, maybe filled with Monopoly money, cages with tropical animals and some even a retinue of black servants, all accompanied by Cuban music and tastings of sugar cane, molasses and mojitos.

Traditional dress for this festival consists of a guayabera (a.k.a. Beach wedding shirts) traditionally associated with Cuba and white pants or a linen suit, as well as a Panamanian hat. Women dress in equally white period dresses and lace parasols. As can be seen, the festival has a strong Cuban flavour, this is so because it was one of the main sources of emigration for many people of La Palma, so the two islands were strongly linked.

Tons of talc are used in the battle Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de La Palma / CC BY-SA

The battle of talcum powder, according to popular belief, has its origin during the 19th century, when a ship left a cargo of flour in poor condition in port, becoming an element of fun at the carnival that was celebrated at that time. This belief was discarded because 17th century documents have been found that speak of "powdering" on Carnival Monday. It is believed to be a custom inherited from Cuban rituals of bleaching the skin. At the beginning of the 20th century, this tradition was repressed, as "it disturbed public order too much", but from the second half of the century it began to recover, replacing the flour with talc.



Los Indianos de Santa Cruz de La Palma 2020

Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has been postponed to the second quarter of 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The city council will choose the final date in September 2020 and in consensus with the carnival groups. Three options are currently being considered: April, May or July 2021. New dates will be listed here.

Magic and Mythology the winning theme for Carnival 2021 in Puerto de la Cruz

Magic and Mythology the theme of Carnival 2021 in Puerto de la Cruz

Winning with just one vote, Magic and Mythology has been chosen to be the theme of Carnival 2021 in Puerto de la Cruz, which currently, the town hall and organisers are hoping to hold on it's originally planned dates of between 11 and 20 February 2021.

The 1,375 votes were distributed as follows: Magic and Mythology: 433, My Pretty Cuba: 432, The World of TV: 298, Pop Art: 114 and A Carnival of Toys: 98.

Carnival in Puerto de la Cruz

La Laguna this year celebrates some very atypical Fiestas del Cristo

Cristo de La Laguna elduendesuarez / CC BY-SA

Today, 14 September, should have been the Día Grande (Big Day) of the fiestas in honour of the Cristo de La Laguna. In normal years, the 16th Century icon, the most venerated figure of Christ in the Canary Islands, would be brought out in procession from its Real Santuario del Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna (Royal Sanctuary of the Christ of La Laguna) to the sound of the ringing of bells and escorted by Tenerife artillerymen, honouring a promise made in 1921, along with members of the Esclavitud del Cristo (brotherhood or fraternity of devotees), filling the streets of the historic center of the city with people.

However, this year La Laguna will celebrate atypical festivals in honor of Christ due to the current health crisis, which for the first time in more than four centuries will prevent the image from taking to the streets to avoid crowds. The cultural events will be held in the Teatro Leal and all of the religious ones will take place inside the temple only.

Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, and the Councilor for Parties, Carla Cabrera, added that the program of civil and religious events will be limited and that the main events will be broadcast on the internet. The program is "necessarily symbolic" and appropriate to the health situation, although it could be modified according to the evolution of the pandemic, and for which the authorities have also appealed to collective responsibility and prudence.

These festivities usually take place throughout the month of September, with the 14th being the central day, but this year the best we can offer is this memory from last year.



FIESTAS DEL CRISTO DIA GRANDE 2019.09.14 LA LAGUNA ISLAS CANARIAS

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Council sees it as very difficult to organize a massive Carnival in 2021

Carnival Opening Parade in 2019

The Councilor for Fiestas of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Council, Alfonso Cabello, said on Thursday that it would be very difficult for a massive carnival to be organized in the city next year due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. However, he has indicated that a decision will be made at the end of the month or the beginning of October because they also want to evaluate how the school year starts in the archipelago.

Cabello has said that a survey is being carried out among carnival groups and companies related to the leisure industry –and discussed with municipal groups– about the two proposals that are on the table: April or July. The mayor has admitted that a carnival will probably not be held with large crowds of more than 200,000 people and says that the groups prefer the summer and companies April, so as not to affect summer business.

El Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife ve “muy difícil” organizar un Carnaval multitudinario en 2021

Rallysprint Atogo 2020 on 12 September adapts to the new Covid-19 regulations

Rallysprint Atogo

The 15th Rallysprint Atogo 2020 takes place on September 12 - in the hills above Tenerife South Airport - and the Atogo Team is working hard to adapt the the rally to the new health and government regulations. In particular, spectators will have to register on the website.

Without this registration, spectators will not be able to access the areas defined for the event, even though these areas will have a maximum capacity, which once reached, access to them will be closed and controlled by security staff. Fans will have to make this small effort in exchange for enjoying the great show in Atogo for free on September 12.

The organisers, in addition, are cordoning off certain "hot" areas and imposing rules that must be strictly adhered to. The two entrances to the finish and the start will be controlled, the area of ​​the Charca de Atogo, Curva de Toledo and Curva del Cabrero (a total of 5 controlled spaces). Even if you do not intend go to these specific areas, they ask that fans register on their website for control of the organization and the competent authorities.

Likewise, orgainisers insist on distancing, mask wearing and hand cleaning; "common sense", whether professionals taking part or fans, for the good of all.



RallySprint de Atogo 2019

Short video summary of the RallySprint de Atogo 2019, where Lauren García takes her first victory of the year with her 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 together with Samuel Martín.