After more than 20 years, posts here will now only be occasional (see why) for big events such as Tenerife Carnaval, so please "Like" and follow our Facebook Page because that's where to see future updates.

Piñata Weekend in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The Piñata provides the finale to the party

Shrove Tuesday is the climax of carnival frivolities in the strictly religious sense and the Burial of the Sardine on Ash Wednesday was once intended to denote the end of hedonistic festivities and the beginning of Lent, but Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife doesn't stop then ... as the Piñata Weekend provides a fitting finale. Although the live music of Daytime Carnaval is what's being promoted most about the final weekend of carnival in Santa Cruz these days, there are other events.

Coso Infantil - Children's Carnaval Parade

One I highly recommend is the Coso Infantil (Children's Carnaval Parade). It's like the big parade, but with lots of added cuteness. This used to be held on the Saturday, but once the Daytime Carnival had become established, it was moved to the Friday afternoon (from about 6 pm) so kids could enjoy both. 

Sábado de Piñata - Carnaval de Día

Sábado de Piñata (Saturday), in Santa Cruz the most important Carnaval de Día (Daytime Carnaval) in the world will be taking place. That might be because it's the only designated daytime carnival in the world - we haven't checked - but nevertheless an afternoon full of spectacular shows can be expected in the Plazas del Príncipe, La Candelaria and on the Avenida Anaga. 

Concurso de coches antiguos - Classic Cars

On the Sunday morning, is a Gran Concurso en la Ciudad de Automóviles Antiguos (Gathering of Vintage Cars), which meets at the Parque García Sanabria (see map) from 10 a.m. Then at mid-day, these beautiful old cars, with occupants in period costume, make a circuit of the city, through the streets of Numancia, Pilar, Plaza del Príncipe, Villalba Hervás, La Marina, Avenidas de Anaga and Marítima, ending at the Club Náutico de Tenerife (see map).

There are end of carnival parties and usually a fireworks finale on the Sunday.

The Moving Target of Los Cristianos Carnival

Fantasy moving target that exists for real in Arona

Easter, Lent and thus the dates of carnival that precedes it, are movable feasts on the Christian Liturgical calendar. At Arona Council, this tips over into the realms of moving target and even outright fantasma. I'd dearly wanted to come up with a "magic formula" for calculating the dates of carnival in Los Cristianos (as I've done with the other big carnivals on the island) - and given the demand for information and visits to posts about Los Cristianos Carnival - I think you'd like me to, too.

So after translating this year's program, I thought I'd go through the archives to see if a pattern would emerge that would allow us to arrive at a method to predict when these fiestas would take place each year, but, sadly, it doesn't work.

Dates of Los Cristianos Carnival Main Parade through the years:


Taking the dates of Shrove Tuesday (the most reliable point in the carnival calendar) and the dates of the main parade of Los Cristianos Carnival (the event that is probably of most interest to visitors) over the last few years, I plotted how many days there were between the two dates. In the distant past, the Los Cristianos carnaval main parade had always taken place 12 days after Shrove Tuesday

Some delay is understandable, as fairground attractions, food stalls, etc., have to be dismantled and moved from the north of the island and rebuilt in the south.

But then they went and mucked things up, by making it a week later, with the main parade 19 days after Shrove Tuesday instead. Even worse, it has since been moved forward by a further week to make a gap of 26 days and then even as much as 33 days. New events are being added to their schedule every year; some of the events that used to take place mid-week have been moved to weekends and the length of the carnival is longer than it used to be, so it just isn't possible to predict.

The Gran Coso Apoteósico del Carnaval (The Main Parade) generally happens on the final Sunday from around 4 pm from the Paloma Beach apartments in the Avda. Juan Carlos I to the Centro Cultural de Los Cristianos and the last carnival event tends to be the next day, on the Monday night: the Burial of the Sardine, followed by the Widow's Ball. You still need to know when it begins, let alone when it ends.

Arona Council published the dates for 2023, but originally, used the wrong year's calendar. So I contacted them and asked if they were sure, because I didn't think they meant to infer that their main parade could be on a Monday. Eventually, the penny dropped, they updated their calendar and confirmed the dates to me. In mid-February, I checked and found that the whole thing had been moved a week. 

Again for carnival 2024, I checked in late 2023 and was pleasantly surprised that there were dates published on the calendar of fiestas on their official council website and, in good faith, added those dates to my post and promoted them. Went back to the official council website calendar again just a couple of weeks before the carnival should start, which shouldn't even be necessary, and found that Arona had, once again, moved the whole thing on a week. Seething does not begin to cover it.

Of course many thousands of people who live in the area go to the carnival and the tourists that just happen to be around, may, possibly, accidentally get to hear about it, but surely, it's common sense that if people were able to plan this would attract those who really want to be there who are more likely to contribute to the local economy? Are Arona really totally unaware that people might have booked flights, holidays, etc., on purpose to come to their carnival? People who, if they change the dates, will be disappointed, or out of pocket? Honestly, it makes me angry on your behalf, because I think it shows an arrogant level of contempt for visitors. 

Still, dates and details for 2015 came just 2 days before it began! We try to update each year, but, as you can see by the time we can be sure, it's always too late.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen 2009

Carnaval Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2009 Ana María Tavárez Mata

Carnaval Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2009 was Ana María Tavárez Mata, with a costume entitled "Embrujada" (Bewitched) designed by Leo Martínez and representing newspaper El Día.

The court was made up as follows:

  1. 1st Maid of Honour: Raquel de Ara Carballo, with a costume entitled "Vuelvo de La Guaira en correíllo cargada de loros stop besos Concha" (I return from La Guaira in a Correíllo loaded with parrots, stop, kisses Concha), representing Centro Comercial Santa Cruz Carrefour and designed by Santi Castro.
  2. 2nd Maid of Honour: Leonor Barreto Fuentes, with a costume entitled "Aria de amor" (Aria of love), representing Centro Comercial Meridiano and designed by Saliarca Creativos.
  3. 3rd Maid of Honour: Gisela Dorta Melo, with a costume entitled "This is for you, I love you, Thank you", representing Centro Comercial Alcampo - La Laguna and designed by Juan Carlos Armas.
  4. 4th Maid of Honour: Nuria Niebla Plasencia, with a costume entitled "Nirvana", representing Tranvía de Tenerife and designed by Santi Castro.
The theme of carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was El cine de Terror (Horror Cinema). Known as "The Anti-crisis Carnival", the main stage at the The Tenerife International Centre for Trade Fairs and Congresses, was scaled back and completely flat, without sculpted or modelled elements. Its decoration was based on large format prints, with traditional motifs from the first horror movies. 

The Official Carnival song that year was "Chicharrero de Corazón", by the Murga Ni Pico Ni Corto, becoming the first song by a carnival group to be the official song for these fiestas, and which had a tremendous reception at the Gala of the Carnival Queen, being danced and sung by all the carnival troupes of Tenerife. The "Ave Satani" (satanic hymn from the horror movie The Omen, could be heard several times in the introduction to the gala. 

Tenerife Land of Eternal Christmas

Sunbathing SantaDesert Island ChristmasScuba Diving SantaTropical Santa
Santa's Having a Whale of a TimeSurfing SantaWaterski SantaCamel Rodeo Santa
With a wide range of products in each design, click the pics (above) to see the full selections.