Daily bus service to Punta de Teno

View of Los Gigantes Cliffs from Punta de Teno

There has been an announcement that the 369 bus service from Buenavista del Norte to Punta de Teno is now to be operated every day of the week, Monday to Sunday inclusive, on an indefinite basis. This measure has been launched after regulations, in force limiting of access to this northern enclave of Tenerife, are extended to the whole week and, which prevents access to private vehicles between 10:00 and 18:00 hours, except those authorized. Therefore, the bus is now the only means for visitors to get to Punta de Teno and it is well worth the trip for the most spectacular views from there of the Los Gigantes Cliffs.

The 369 bus will depart from the Buenavista bus station at 10:10, 11:05, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:10, 17:05 and 18:05 hours. The return journeys from Punta de Teno depart at 10:35, 11:25, 12:25, 13:25, 14:25, 15:25, 16:35, 17:25 and 18:25. The price of the service is one euro per journey (as of 2019).

Ropa Vieja Canaria (Canarian Old Clothes)

Ropa Vieja Canaria Photo: Kpjas [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Another traditional dish of Canarian Cuisine for you, Ropa Vieja Canaria, which really does literally translate to Canarian Old Clothes. Ropa Vieja is one of the national dishes of Cuba (unlike Cuban Rice, which appears to be a purely Canarian invention.) However, just to be even more confusing, the Canarian version of Ropa Vieja is different from the Caribbean version (which is shredded or pulled stewed beef served with rice), while the Canarian version has potatoes and chickpeas added directly to the dish. In Spain, the dish seems to have Medieval origins with the Cuisine of the Sephardic Jews, while the term ropa vieja has been explained as being from Arabic, to mean leftovers. And in parts of Spain, the dish is indeed prepared from the meat leftover from Cocido and in the Canaries, the leftover chickpeas and meat from Puchero is often used.

Ingredients:

1/2 Kg. Of chickpeas
½ Kg. Of beef
½ Kg. Of chicken meat
1 Kg. Of potatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1 pepper
1 onion
1 tomato
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of water or broth
paprika, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, salt and oil.

Method:

Soak the chickpeas the night before so they soften. 

The next day, wash and place them in a large saucepan with meat, salt and water. Once stewed, drain then shred the meat.

Next fry the meat and the chickpeas until they are crispy, and reserve.

Separately fry, with oil, the onion, pepper, peeled tomato and garlic, all previously chopped. Add the pepper and cloves. Once the frying is done, add the paprika, wine, thyme, bay leaf and a small cup of broth. Then add the meat and the chickpeas and heat for a few minutes. 

Finally, fry the potatoes in cubes and mix everything together.

La Laguna Ahora con la cocina tradicional: Ropa Vieja


Ropa vieja

Santa Cruz Carnival Queens in Miniature

Barbie version of the Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2003

During carnival this year back in March, there was a temporary exhibition entitled "Barbie se viste de Reina del Carnaval" (Barbie dresses up as Carnival Queen), at the Real Casino de Tenerife on the Plaza de la Candelaria. We popped into the casino while the temporary exhibition was on and grabbed these few photos.

In 2003, Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was Natalia Díaz Mesa, with a costume "Láquesis" (Lachesis), designed by Santi Castro, representing Centro Comercial Carrefour. Watch a video of the 2003 coronation.

Barbie version of the Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2013

In 2013, Soraya Rodríguez Castro became Carnival Queen with "Volare" (Fly), designed by Saliarca Creativos and representing Centro Comercial Carrefour – Meridiano. Here is coverage of her coronation.

Barbie version of the Carnival Queen in 2017

Judit López García was crowned Queen of the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2017 with a costume entitled "Madame Soleil" (Madam Sun), designed by Jorge González Santana, representing Fuentealta.

Barbie version of the Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2008

In 2008, Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was Nauzet Celeste Cruz Melo, "La Edad de Oro" (Golden Age), designed by Santi Castro, representing the Santa Cruz-Carrefour Shopping Center. Watch the coronation here.

Barbie version of the Carnival Queen in 1996

Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1996 was Nayra Plasencia Jorge, in a costume entitled "Ra", designed by Justo Gutiérrez and representing Almacenes El Kilo. You can watch her coronation here.

Barbie version of the Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1997

This is the miniature version of the Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1997, who was Soledad León Rancel with a costume, "Mamut" (Mammoth), designed by Leo Martinez, again representing Almacenes El Kilo.

New great pre-Hispanic mystery of Tenerife: Christian cross discovered at Guanche site

Landscape in Buenavista del Norte. Image: Paweł 'pbm' Szubert [CC BY-SA 3.0]

New great pre-Hispanic mystery of Tenerife: a colossal megalith for fecundity rituals and solar calendar. The research of Gustavo Sánchez Romero, Santiago López Arencibia and Emilio Rivero, has resulted in the discovery of what could be considered as a large Guanche meeting place.

A new great pre-Hispanic mystery has emerged in Tenerife. Researchers from the Canary Islands have found, in the municipality of Buenavista del Norte, a Christian cross engraved in a megalith that suggests knowledge of Christianity by the ancient Canarian inhabitants. The cross, inscribed in the rock, perfectly identified as such oriented to the sun, is located in a space where the inhabitants before the Conquest paid respect to fertility and the observation of the stars.

The research of Gustavo Sánchez Romero, Santiago López Arencibia and Emilio Rivero, gives detail of an archaeological puzzle for specialists and a powerful magnet for independent researchers. The Guanches could work colossal stone structures. It has resulted in the discovery of what could be considered a great Guanche meeting centre, "of cult, associated with rituals of fertility and solar markers." The discovery has been published by the prestigious Austrian Center Institutum Canarium in Vienna, a scientific society dedicated to the interdisciplinary research of the Canary Islands and Mediterranean cultures for more than 50 years.

As published by Yaiza Santana in a report for ABC, Romero, López and Rivero argue that "the space is composed of two large independent rock formations, in the middle of the Laurisilva (laurel forest)". And they add that both stone cliffs, several meters high, "stand out as two stony islands" in the midst of the greenery of a "prehistoric area of ​​more than 20 million years old", experts say. In particular, they have investigated an "enormous rock shaped like a dog's head that, defiantly, looks into the abyss". The area is called precisely the Risco del Perro (Dog's Crag), though camouflaged among the greenery of the area over the years, you can see that the stone is worked in the form of a dog skull.

The stone is 3.5 meters long and 1.6 meters high, "has a carved eye, and presents the typical profile of the canine, high skull and pointed nose". The back exposes a "bowl carved in the stone, with a well differentiated concavity".

The researchers allude to the presence of "the figure of the dog in Guanche society, an animal associated with burials, since there are several mummified heads". "The dog is a key element in every pastoral society, besides being used for meat by some Guanches, probably in times of scarcity."

Resistance against the Europeans

In the area where this has been detected there are "several well-finished steps, cut squarely into the wall of rock that makes up this first formation," the researchers point out. It would be for access. It contains "channels cut in the stone, approximately six of more than one meter in length, used for the pouring of liquids, associated with rudimentary bowls, more than four of different depths and sizes". "This set would represent a kind of outdoor altar located in tall rocks, the almogarenes, sacred places of meeting to celebrate ceremonies related to fertility," they theorize.

The enigma of the cross

That's where there is a Latin Christian cross engraved on the stone, 40 centimeters by 30 centimeters. This cross is oriented at 64 ° and coincides with the sunrise on the summer solstice. According to the experts, "these crosses are found in important areas for the Guanches, places of power, worship or meeting, as also present in Teno Alto, Buenavista del Norte, relatively close to the area studied." In the areas of Daute and Icod, the Guanches were entrenched until 1517, when the Conquest ended in 1496, according to official data.

Worship of the sun and livestock

In the steep area where there is the large dog's head there is a perfect space for contemplation. "We are facing a kind of observatory or solar window whose purpose would be to register, in a precise manner, the departure of the star king, Magec for the Guanches, on such a marked date. Now it should be noted that on June 21, summer solstice, when the Guanche year began, the males were released so that they would breed goats and culminate the harvest."

They explain that in the Beñesmen, central summer day (August 7) the goats were pregnant, "so it was a ritual feast where the cycle of life began," and "the winter solstice, December 21, marked the central day of the Guanche year, coinciding with the birth of baifos (goat kids) and the formation of the new flocks, a key element in the economy, and, therefore, in the survival of the Guanche people ".

Encuentran una cruz cristiana en un yacimiento de culto guanche en Canarias [via]

Arroz con leche (Rice Pudding)

Arroz con leche (Rice Pudding)

Leaving La Laguna by San Benito, just in front of the chapel that gives shelter to the patron saint and protector of the fields of Tenerife, is the Bar "Las Moneditas". In this famous bar its founder, Don Agustín, kept closely guarded a recipe for the dessert of the house, which is an easy to make dish for almost everyone.

Ingredients:

100 gr of rice
1 lemon rind
50 gr of sugar
water
1/2 liter of milk
a stick of cinnamon
a pinch of salt
ground cinnamon
honey

Method:

Pour the rice into ample boiling water, cook for 10 minutes and meanwhile heat the milk with the sugar, lemon rind, cinnamon stick and salt.

After ten minutes, remove the rice and cool it by rinsing it with water in a colander. Put it back on the heat to cook with the milk 10 or 12 minutes until the grains are soft and loose. Remove the cinnamon stick and the lemon peel. Decorate with ground cinnamon and honey to taste.

El Arroz con leche de «Las Moneditas»

Garachico at the gates of hell

Volcán de Trevejo or Arenas Negras.
Image: Fotos aéreas de Canarias via: Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias 

The Villa de Garachico slept at dawn on May 5, 1706. Although not all the locals did so. In the monastery of the Immaculate Conception, the nuns went to Matins. Bernardo finished arranging the load in the cart, while the two mules appreciated the fresh hay that their master had given them; the arriero (muleteer) wanted to leave for San Cristóbal de La Laguna as soon as the sun appeared. Gonzalo, his wife Rosario and their son Manuel worked in the bakery, already at full capacity. Mercedes was breastfeeding her new-born daughter, while Antonio, the husband, who like her had not slept, ate a bowl of gofio and milk, without hurry, to then go to the dock, the most important on the island, where he worked as a dock worker. That morning barrels of wine were due to embark in a galleon that had arrived at port two days ago, and that would leave on course to the Nueva España (New Spain), as soon as its hold was full of the precious merchandise.

There was silence in Garachico, when suddenly, those who got up early felt the ground tremble under their feet. Instantly, another tremor even stronger, a shake that made the furniture wobble and a hoarse roar that came from the top of Montaña Negra, to the south, behind the back of the town. In the convent of the Immaculate Conception, the nuns suddenly silenced the prayer, shuddering, all looking at the mother superior. Bernardo's mules tensed their muscles, kicking the floor, emitting a moan between their braying and the neighing. Mercedes had palpitations, the baby was removed from the breast and cried disconsolately at the sudden reaction of her mother. The people of Garachico rushed into the street, looking towards the mountain that sheltered the town, and, as terrified as they were dazed, watched the sky turn red, heard the thunder of the earth and the ground shudder again. Shouting, some pointed to a trail of lava, red as iron in the forge, poking up the edge of the summit. There was no time to lose, but now the glow of the fire that threatened from the bowels of the earth the lives of the inhabitants of the prosperous locality of Tenerife.

From the 5th to the 14th of May 1706 the Trevejo volcano was vomiting lava. Over the town ran a torrent of incandescent matter that split into two main arms, reducing to ashes everything in its path. A lava arm buried the pier; the other burned the parish church, the convent of San Francisco, the monastery of Santa Clara and the whole street above, where the most sumptuous buildings were. Miraculously, the incandescent river skirted the convent of the Immaculate Conception, freeing it from succumbing under the coals of hell. Men, women, children and the elderly fled to Icod, on foot, on horseback, in carriages, with the most precious or necessary belongings. There were no fatalities, but buried by the lava, the port, vineyards and half a village, Garachico was plunged into ruin.

Garachico a las puertas del infierno (Via)

Volcano Chinyero and Montaña Negro

Santa Cruz: 525 anniversary of the city and 129 years of the Fiestas de Mayo

Alonso Fernández de Lugo founded
the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 

On May 3, 1494 the Castilian conquerors nailed the founding cross in Añazo, but it was not until 1890 when the capital of the island began to celebrate the commemorations

On May 3, 1494, the Castilian conquerors nailed a rudimentary wooden cross on the beach of Añazo with which they celebrated the mass that commemorated the founding of the Port and Place of Santa Cruz. The Cross remained in the same place for many years, where, forgotten by some, and abandoned to their fate by others, it endured rain, sun and seas.

When in 1735 the Logman brothers (priests) built a house to install a butchers shop in it, so that the income would help the poor resources of the first church (Concepción), the Cross was wedged between the aforementioned house and the wall that served as a defensive parapet. Therefore, in 1745, the mayor Juan de Arauz y Lordelo, observing the state of deterioration and abandonment of the Cross, ordered them to build a chapel so that it would be sheltered, being called the chapel of the Holy Cross or the Holy Shroud. From this date (1745), every May 3 they began to celebrate this holiday every year.

When the aforementioned chapel was demolished, the Franciscan friars placed the Cross next to the door of the hermitage of San Telmo, where it was forgotten by those who did not know its history and by the indifference of those who, even knowing it, were not aware of its value. It would be in 1850 when the chaplain of the Hospital de los Desamparados, the Dominican Lorenzo Siverio, assessing what that ancient symbol represented for the population, made the decision to move it to the hospital chapel, while exclaiming: "Nobody pays attention today to this old relic, but the day will come when everyone will dispute it."

Little by little, the inhabitants of the port of Santa Cruz began to understand what that old relic represented for the city and began to feel great interest in the founding of its history. The first civic procession of the Foundational Cross took place in 1867. It left the chapel of the Hospital de los Desamparados, where it was deposited, and, after touring the decorated streets of the neighborhood, it reached the hermitage of San Telmo. It was accompanied by the Banner of the City, which was followed by the Municipal Corporation, civil governor, the military band, and a picket line of the battalion. The Banner was new and had been made in Seville with all the details that the previous one lacked.

That day, the Municipal Corporation used, for the first time, a medal hanging from its neck, on a ribbon with national colors. These medals, made in Paris, in gilt silver, had the motto: "Constitutional City Hall of Santa Cruz de Tenerife". The R.O. who authorized it said: "The will of S.M. (His Majesty) is that the use of this badge is limited to solemn acts in which the City Council is to be included in a corporation, and not those that are individually celebrated by the councilors ".

During the first five days of the month of May of that year there were several festivities: regattas of boats, cockfights, balloons, races on horseback. At night there was strolling and music in the square and fireworks. Booths were also installed in the Plaza de la Constitución (La Candelaria), beautifully decorated and illuminated, since all the lanterns were lit, even if there was a full moon.

Finally, on April 19, 1873, the Provincial Commission reported that the Cross of the Conquest belonged in fact and of right to the Municipality, authorizing to collect for its custody all the ornaments that belonged to it.

In the hermitage of San Telmo, said: "The Cross of the Conquest, made of wood from time immemorial, is next to the Gospel, inside a wooden urn with crystals, and has a shroud of white taffeta. Two Chinese vases with golden fillets and fourteen different coloured glass lanterns are used for the decoration."

On May 2, the Cross was moved to the church of San Francisco, where it was guarded until the 3rd, when the ceremony took place and then the procession through the streets of the city centre, accompanied by the entire Municipal Corporation and people from all points of the island. The procession was described by the media as a great spectacle. As agreed, the Cross was kept in San Telmo and, from here, on its May festivity, it went out in procession through the ornate streets of the neighbourhood until arriving at La Concepción.

The first May Festivities were celebrated in 1890. They lasted three days and the animation was extraordinary. There was a mass in the Plaza de San Telmo, in commemoration of the first one that was said in the same place and before the same Cross, which was attended by all the troops of the garrison, the provincial guard and the sailors of the cruise Island of Cuba, anchored in the port, and at night there was a military retreat that travelled the main streets. In addition, a dance was held at the Casino, a literary-musical evening in the Instructive Cabinet, and a retinue of allegorical figures, carried out by beautiful young ladies from the Circle of Friends who wore fancy costumes.

Foundational Cross
Koppchen [CC BY 3.0]

In 1892, the City Council, upon checking the state of old age in which the venerated relic was found, and that could not resist much longer, in order to preserve it and guard it in the best possible conditions, agreed that it should be conveniently embedded in good wood, and introduced in a reliquary of wood, nickel and glass, in whose top figure, embossed, the coat of arms of Santa Cruz and an inscription that says: "Here is encircled the Cross placed by the conqueror of Tenerife Don Alonso Fernández of Lugo on the altar before which the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated for the first time on the beaches of Añaza, May 3, 1494. It was paid by the City Council of Santa Cruz.

In 1896, the Foundation Cross was transferred to the mother church of La Concepción, where it remains today. In 1909, Patricio Estévanez promoted a campaign, in the newspaper El Progreso, to promote the Fiestas de Mayo. That year the program of events was more extensive than ever, because there were two weeks of acts and rejoicings of all kinds. As of that year, the exhibition of Canarian flowers and plants and crafts, the decorated crosses contest and the baile de magos (country ball), among other events, have traditionally been held.

Santa Cruz: 525 aniversario de la ciudad y 129 de las Fiestas de Mayo

Tenerife in May 2019

Canarian Stick Fighting

May in Tenerife starts and ends with public holidays. Wednesday 1 May 2019 is Fiesta del Trabajo (Workers’ Day) and Thursday 30 May 2019 is Día de Canarias (Canaries Day), which is the anniversary of the first session of the Canary Islands' Parliament after the return of democracy in Spain.

May 3, Día de la Cruz (Festival of the Crosses) is a municipal public holiday in Los Realejos, Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife - in the case of the last for both the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Founding of the City.

The municipality of Los Realejos celebrates the Day of the Cross on 3rd May with a spectacular display of fireworks, one of the most outstanding in Europe and declared of National Tourist Interest. The two main streets of the town, the streets of El Medio and Del Sol, rival to offer the best pyrotechnic show. 

Second only to the carnival in terms of importance, are the Fiestas de Mayo (May Fiestas) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which not only honour the Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) for which the city is named, it also commemorates the founding of the city. The festivities, which coincide with the 525th anniversary of the city, include the Election of the Fiesta Queen that was held on Friday, April 26; the exhibition of flowers, plants and handicrafts that opens on Sunday April 28 at the García Sanabria Park; on Wednesday, 1 May 2019, from 12:30 hours, the Paseo Romero de Tíncer (Traditional procession through the neighbourhood streets, with the participation of folk groups; Alcorán, Itamar, Chincanayros, Chácaras and Tambores of Garajonay, Tonique, Sueños del Teide, Idaira, Farrutes of the Atlantic, Bienmesabe, Saint Angel, Virgin of Regla and Parranda Amuley.). On Thursday, 2 May 2019, the Baile de Magos (Country Ball) - an all ticket affair - in the area of ​​La Concepción and on Friday, 3 May 2019, from 9 am, the Decorated Crosses competition on the Rambla Santa Cruz and throughout the city. Santa Cruz, lista para sus fiestas de mayo

The XLIII Exposición Regional de Flores, Plantas y Artesanía Tradicional Canaria (Regional Exhibition of Flowers, Plants and Canarian Traditional Crafts) in the Parque García Sanabria, runs until Sunday 5 May 2019, from 10 am to 9 pm. During the last week of April and the first of May each year we can enjoy a wide variety of colours and aromas in the floral exhibition that takes place in the García Sanabria Park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, along with wonderful artisan works of basketry, embroidery and lacework, among others.

More than a hundred musicians will give life to works by Wagner and Strauss on Friday 3 May 2019 in a new program of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, with a concert in the Sala Sinfónica of the Auditorio de Tenerife.

Saturday 4 May 2019 there's a Craft Beer Festival in Puertito de Güímar.

From 3 to 5 May in Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Summer Holiday Travel Fair, with more than 30 companies participating; airlines, shipping companies and hotel companies. 4:00 p.m. Calle Valentín Sanz and Plaza del Príncipe.

Sunday 5 May: Come to Santa Cruz. Commercial opening which highlights the Summer Holiday Fair with various activities; market, children's workshops, thematic routes and parades. From 11:00 am in the central zone of the city.

Sunday 5 May 2019 is Día de la Madre (Mother's Day), celebrated on the first Sunday in May, since 1965 (previously, it was 8th December).

Sunday 5 May 2019: Concierto Del Día De La Madre (Mother's Day Concert) with JOSEFINA ALEMÁN at 8 pm in the Plaza de La Candelaria.

Sunday 5 May 2019, the XX Medio Maratón Ciudad de La Laguna.

Romería de San Marcos in Tegueste: Postponed from it's usual final Sunday in April slot because of the General Elections in Spain, the Romería de San Marcos in Tegueste will take place on Sunday 5 May 2019, which this year celebrates its 51st edition. Despite the change of date, the council believe that this will not affect the influx of public, which is always crowded. In fact, some 80,000 people attended last year. The pilgrimage will depart at 1:00 pm from the Plaza de San Marcos, after the celebration of the solemn Eucharist at 12 noon. The image of San Marcos will pass through the streets of La Audiencia, El Carmen, Nueva, Prebendado Pacheco, San Marcos square, El Pinar and La Placeta street, accompanied by 18 carts, four boats and a total of 29 Folklore groups.

May 5th is the anniversary of the 1706 eruption in Garachico.

The Plaza de la Cultura in San Isidro this Saturday 11 May, will host a festival of folk traditions with crafts, workshops, exhibitions of local games, folklore and gastronomy. Organized by the Department of Culture in Granadilla de Abona, events begin at 10.00 am and are scheduled to conclude at around 3:00 pm.

The event is scheduled to start with the craft and gastronomy fair that will offer basketry and blacksmithing, cheese making, bags and jewelery, handmade bread, Canarian products, pastries and artisanal honey. Also, there will be an exhibition of domestic and farm animals, bulldog and podenco dogs. For the youngest children; workshops, traditional games and an exhibition of wooden carts.

From 11.00 am there will be displays of Juego del palo (Canarian stick fighting), Salto del pastor (Shepherd's Leap) and the release of pigeons by the Club Colombófilo Abona Sur. Canarian food tasting at 2:00 p.m. And at 8:00 pm, the 'V Alisios del Sur Folk Festival' will be held with the participation of Tamadiste, Andares Isleños and Alisios del Sur cultural associations.

Las tradiciones populares se dan cita el sábado en San Isidro

Museo Casa del Vino en La Baranda, El Sauzal
Image: bea & txema [CC BY 2.0]

Tasting Workshop of the Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Tenerife

On Saturday 11 May 2019, from 11 am to 2 pm, at the Casa del Vino de Tenerife, La Baranda, El Sauzal, take part in a tasting workshop of the Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Tenerife and the Canary Islands, in which the olive oil culture, its elaboration and characteristics will be discussed. More information on 922 57 25 35.

Adeje Rally: This weekend on Saturday 11 May on the Rally Calendar is the 29th Rallye Villa de Adeje. It's a huge event for the south of the island and great fun if you like motor sports, road closures and disruption if you don't. :)

Ópera: La Traviata in Adeje

Ópera de Tenerife present La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi, at the Magma Arte & Congresos de Adeje, on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 May, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and has the collaboration of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ministry of Tourism. It is a production made entirely on the Island that the Cabildo program outside the Auditorium of Tenerife in order to bring this genre to new audiences.

Ópera de Tenerife presenta La traviata en el Magma Arte & Congresos

The Festival Internacional de Arte en la Calle (International Street Art Festival in Puerto de la Cruz), more commonly known as MUECA2019, takes place in the tourist city from Thursday 9 May to Sunday 12 May 2019. A great international attraction, drawing in locals and visitors alike to experience its extraordinary and original wonders. The festival welcomes you to soak up its colours, lively atmosphere and group performances. Theatre, circus acts, dance, music and other art forms take to the city's streets to create four days of magic. There is more information on the festival's Facebook page.

The group Jóvenes Cantadores (literally, Young Singers) appear with Pitingo - creator of soulería, soul to the rhythm of bulería - in a concert taking place on Monday, May 20, starting at 9:00 p.m., in the Plaza de Valle de Guerra, and which is part of the program of events of the Fiestas of San Isidro Labrador and Santa Maria de la Cabeza. Jóvenes Cantadores, formed in Tenerife, were discovered in 2008 by the director of the Televisión Canaria program "La Bodega de Julián", Elvis Sanfiel. The group has a total of twenty-four components with ages between 17 and 28 years. The vast majority are students of the University of La Laguna.

Jóvenes Cantadores y Pitingo, este lunes (20 de mayo) en Valle de Guerra

Former Convent of San Sebastián in Los Silos

"Los Caprichos Musicales de la Isla Baja" started in the region fourteen years ago. This edition of 2019, taking place between Saturday 11 May and Saturday 20 July 2019, consists of 18 concerts in the beautiful settings of the Isla Baja; mainly old convents and squares of the municipalities of Garachico, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte and El Tanque.

The former convent of San Sebastián, in Los Silos, hosts the inaugural concert on Saturday, May 11, at 8:00 pm. Attendance is FREE. Consult the program online (in Spanish) for details of dates and venues for these classical and opera concerts and recitals, as well as pop, world music, jazz, pop, funk & soul ...

On Saturday 11 May 2019, is the Pilgrimage in Honor to San Isidro in El Pico de Tejina, La Laguna.

On Sunday 12 May 2019, there are:

• Pilgrimage of Our Lady of Fatima in the Valle San Lorenzo, Arona
• Pilgrimage in Honor to San Isidro in San Isidro, Granadilla de Abona
• Romería San Isidro in Arguayo, Santiago del Teide
• Romería de San Matías - Taco - La Laguna

Feria de Las Tradiciones in Candelaria

Candelaria is hosting a Traditions Fair, highlighting the Culture and Traditions of the municipality in the surroundings of the Plaza de Teror and Avenida Condes de Santa María of Abona. The Fair will be open to the public this Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and attendees will be able to enjoy different activities, among which are the sale of handicrafts, Tenerife costumes, exhibition of needlework, special programming of Candelaria Radio, screenings of "Candelaria en la recuerdo" (Candelaria in the memory), bouncy castles, press area and Canarian books, workshops (from 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm) in drum, chácaras and traditional percussion; and many local crafts, as well as cut-out and colour the traditional costume of Candelaria.

Cultura y Tradición se citan en Candelaria (Via)

La Traviata in Puerto de la Cruz

Ópera de Tenerife is staging two more performances of La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi, on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May 2019, starting at 9:00 p.m., in the gardens of the old Hotel Taoro, in Puerto de la Cruz.

Ópera de Tenerife presenta este fin de semana La traviata

Romería de San Isidro in Guía de Isora

Guía de Isora celebrates the 66th anniversary of the Pilgrimage of San Isidro Labrador on Sunday 19 May. After the mass sung by the municipal folk group Sámara in the Church of Our Lady of La Luz from 11.30am, the celebrations through the streets will begin. Folk groups, carts and parrandas will add a note of color and happiness, along with groups of dancers who will accompany the saint. The evening will continue with dancing to orchestras Sabrosa and Wamampy.

This is just one of many such Romerías taking place on Sunday 19 May:

• Pilgrimage in honor of San Isidro Labrador - El Chorrillo, El Rosario.
• Romería de San Isidro Labrador in Guía de Isora
• Romería of San Isidro Labrador – Valle de Guerra, La Laguna
• Romería in Honour of San Isidro Labrador – Ruigómez, El Tanque
• Romería in Honour of Ntra. Señora de Fátima – La Sabinita, Arona
• Romería in Honour of San Isidro Labrador y Santa María de La Cabeza in Monte de Los Brezos, in Araya, Candelaria.

There is also a huge list of Romerías taking place in May.

The Tenerife Walking Festival 2019 (now into it's 5th year) will take place from 21 to 25 May. This is an event open to hikers from all over the continent, combining different types of hikes and trails and original supplementary activities.

The Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos in Santa Cruz de Teneife will host the 6º Salón Gastronómico de Canarias – GastroCanarias 2019 (The sixth Gastronomic Fair of the Canary Islands), from May 21 to 23, a specialised event that will turn Tenerife into the epicenter of gastronomy and local products.

Some 215 stands, spread over 12,000 square meters make this event a great showcase for the promotion of agri-food products from the Canary Islands, as well as serving as a space for the exchange of information and knowledge.

This edition also aims to become the first in Spain to be free of plastic.

On Friday 24 May, 9pm at the Teatro Unión Tejina, Plaza El Ramal s/n, 38260, Tejina, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, see Canarian reggae band, Ruts & La Isla Music, and guests in a show "MARLEY VIVE" (Marley Lives), recreating many of Bob Marley's biggest hits. Price 5 Euros. (via)

Much More Music Pick Your Style

• CLASICAL: Friday 23 May at 7:30 pm at the Auditorio de Tenerife, Concert for Orchestra. Tenerife Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the Festival of Contemporary Music, this concert presents compositions of the 20th century: Debussy, Kurka and Bartok. (via)
• CHORAL: Saturday 25 May at 7:30 pm at the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín. Choral Concert by the The Red de Coros de Tenerife (Tenerife Choir Network). Admission Free. 
• FOLKLORE: Saturday 25 May at 9 pm in the Plaza de la Candelaria. Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Concert with master of the timple, Domingo ‘El Colorao’ (Domingo Rodríguez Oramas) (via)
• BANDS: Sunday 26 May at 11:30 am  at the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín. Concert by the bands of the Federación Insular de Bandas de Música de Tenerife (Tenerife Music Bands Federation). Admission Free. (via)

From 24 May to 2 June the XXXI Feria del Libro de Santa Cruz (31st Santa Cruz Book Fair) is taking place in the Parque García Sanabria. Although, obviously, concerned with books in Spanish - with talks, signings, readings, poetry - there are literary, musical, cinema and gastronomy activities too. There are 35 book stalls, publishers, public and private institutions as well as areas for eating, resting and reading. The park, with such sociable events, is a marvellous space to be. (via)

Friday 24 May from 6pm to 9pm at the Casa del Vino de Tenerife, Calle San Simón, 49, 38360 El Sauzal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Tasting workshop with Tenerife wines, edible flowers and sweets. Workshop where the harmony between the floral aromas of the wine, the edible flowers and the memories of childhood through licorice or gumdrops are sought. Information or reservation on 922 57 25 35. Price 18 Euros. (via)

Canary Islands Day is celebrated in almost every corner of the archipelago with numerous cultural and leisure activities, in which people participate in traditional costumes, with folk music and exhibitions of local customs and sports such as Lucha Canaria (Canarian Wrestling), Juego del Palo (Stick Fighting), Salto de Pastor (Shepherd's Leap), or Bola Canaria (Boules/Pétanque) in many locations. There is also no lack of demonstrations of the rich, local cuisine.

For 2019, the Canary Islands Government has presented an enormous list of activities for the commemoration of Día de Canarias. Among the folk music concerts on offer on Thursday 30 May are those by some of the 'big names' in this genre, Los Gofiones (Plaza de la Candelaria, Santa Cruz at 5:30 pm) and  Los Sabandeños (Plaza de la Candelaria, Santa Cruz at 8:00 pm). While in La Laguna, in the Plaza del Cristo from 12:30pm another edition of the festival Canto Común (Common Song) will take place, bringing together 25 folk groups, soloists, dancers, etc. from the municipality in a demonstration of the island's heritage. 

Meanwhile, in Santa Úrsula and in Alcalá on Thursday 30 May there are Ferias de Artesanía (Crafts Fairs). In Santa Úrsula, in the Espacio Cultural La Casona de San Luis, from 20 to 31 May there is an exhibition of Canarian clothing, entitled “ATAVÍOS IV”, organised by the Agrupación Folclórica Chimaque with the Santa Úrsula Town Hall, which this year is dedicated to the undergarments used in the past. Petticoats, bloomers and other pieces can be seen with shoes and hats that complement traditional outfits.

The exhibition can be visited until May 31, from Monday to Friday from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm and on weekends 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

At 11am on 30 May, is the XII Campeonato Nacional de Artes Marciales Canarias (12th National Championship of Canary Martial Arts), in the Plaza de Santa Úrsula. Also on Thursday 30 May, Alcalá celebrates their annual Feria de Artesanía de Alcalá in the Plaza del Llano, with stalls demonstrating all manner of local crafts and produce, with lots of local foodstuffs to try.

In Santa Úrsula, in the Espacio Cultural La Casona de San Luis, from 20 to 31 May there is an Exhibition of Canarian Undergarments, entitled “ATAVÍOS IV”, organised by the Agrupación Folclórica Chimaque with the Santa Úrsula Town Hall, which this year is dedicated to the undergarments used in the past. Petticoats, bloomers and other pieces can be seen along with shoes and hats that complement the traditional outfits. (via)

There are none of the traditional Romerías in the final weekend of the month as some were postponed or rescheduled due to the 2019 Spanish local elections and 2019 Spanish regional elections that are taking place on Sunday, 26 May 2019.

Kicking off the weekend, on Friday 31 May from 4pm, the Romería La Corujera 2019 takes place in the neighbourhood of La Corujera in Santa Úrsula.

CONCERTS: Also Friday 31 May, at 8pm at the Hotel Meliá Hacienda del Conde, Calle La Finca, s/n, 38480 Buenavista del Norte, a classical recital, “Encanto Latinoamericano” (Latin American Charm) - part of the season of Los Caprichos Musicales de la Isla Baja (The Musical Caprices of Isla Baja) - Mara Jaubert (piano) and Javier Rodríguez (percussion), Francisco Feria and Cristina Calvo (vocals) will perform classical works of the repertoire of this continent. (via) 

If you prefer jazz, then head along to the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín at 8pm on Friday 31 May to see the Ken Norris Quartet. Ken Norris is described as "is one of the best US jazz singers at present." (via)

Cruces de flores (Santa Cruz de tenerife) 3 de mayo del 2018