Fiesta de Halloween in Los Gigantes

Halloween seems to have really taken off in Tenerife in recent years - any additional excuse for a party is always welcome, I guess - as it was probably only a decade ago that the tradition wasn't really celebrated on the island. Now it's different, with most towns having some form of celebration, even if it's only for the kids. My pick would be the Halloween Party in the Plaza Bouganvilla in Los Gigantes, tomorrow night, Saturday, 31st October 2015 from 6:30pm, with entertainment again by two local musical groups, “Tío Franklin” y “Old Dogs New Tricks”. The party has been organised by Santiago del Teide town hall, in collaboration with the organizing committee for Carnaval de Los Gigantes 2016, i.e. as a further fundraiser for the latter.

Oktoberfest 2015 in Los Gigantes

This Saturday night, 24th October, it's Oktoberfest 2015 in Los Gigantes. From 18:30 in the Plaza Bougainvillea there will be musical performances and the sale of sausages and beer, as a fundraiser for the Carnival 2016 Los Gigantes.

This is a typical German beer festival, based on the famous festival that takes place every year in the Bavarian city of Munich.

In addition, attendees will enjoy the musical accompaniment of local groups Uncle Franklin and Old Dogs New Tricks to help celebrate the festival.

Isle of Tenerife Rally

This weekend, on Saturday, 17th October, 2015, the annual Rally Isla Tenerife (Isle of Tenerife Rally) takes place. Starting and finishing in Santa Cruz.

La Librea de Valle Guerra 2015

This weekend's traditional treat comes in the form of La Librea de Valle Guerra, in the municipality of San Cristobal de La Laguna and takes place on Saturday, 10th October at 11pm in the evening with around 250 people, the majority born and brought up in the Valle de Guerra, taking part. La Librea de Valle Guerra faithfully reflects events of the Battle of Lepanto, which took place on 7th October 1571 - 444 years ago this year - when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of European Catholic maritime states arranged by Pope Pius V, decisively defeated the fleet of the Ottoman Empire on the northern edge of the Gulf of Corinth, off western Greece.

The Battle of Lepanto has a presence in the La Librea de Valle Guerra as a tribute to canarian soldiers, led by Admiral Francisco Díaz Pimienta, who took part in the conflagration. Pimienta was pilot of one of the ships that fought in Lepanto, belonging to the fleet of Felipe II (Philip II of Spain). Born on the island of La Palma, Pimienta, together with a Canarian militia, became some of the most prominent fighters of the archipelago. It was Díaz who brought a fiesta to the Canary Islands to conmemorate this heroic battle, namely to Barlovento. La Librea de Valle Guerra evolved from this first memorial feast in honor of the Virgen del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary) in the hands of a Tenerife noblewoman, Inés de Castilla, who with her husband, Captain Garcia Fernandez de Valcárcel, inaugurated a chapel in town of Valle de Guerra, dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus and the Virgin of the Rosary in 1615.

Diversaldo 2015 in La Orotava

Who likes a bargain then? The Diversaldo Bargain Fair 2015 in La Orotava is returning on Sunday, October 11th, with a similar format to last year, which was a great success, so this time  the stalls will be extended to spread over the Puente Escultor Estévez, part of Calle Calvario, Avenida de Canarias and the Plaza de la Constitución. From 10am to 8pm.

Craft Fair in a Matanza de Acentejo

From 9am to 3pm on both Saturday, 3rd and Sunday 4th October 2015, visit the 20th annual crafts fair - this edition is dedicated to articles in wood  - at the Mercadillo del Agricultor el Vino y la Artesanía (Farmers', Wine and Crafts Market) in La Matanza. (See map)

Fiestas in the hamlet of Masca

Hamlet of Masca

This weekend sees the fiestas of the Immaculate Conception in the little hamlet of Masca. It's one of the most popular fiestas in the local area and held in the evocative setting of one of the most beautiful and internationally known Tenerife villages. 

On Saturday, 3rd October 2015, starting at 6pm, there's the folk festival, featuring various local folk groups. The religious mass and procession follow at 9pm, then from 11pm onwards is music and dancing to the Orquesta Malibú Band. Although the principal day of the fiestas is on Sunday, 4th October, with mass and processions starting from around 3:15pm and entertainments from 5:30pm.