Tenerife in July 2020

Embarcación de la Virgen del Carmen in Puerto de la Cruz in other times

July does not have any national public holidays, but there are a few public holidays at municipal level this month, which are as follows:

• 14 July: Festivity of the Virgen del Carmen in Puerto de la Cruz
• 16 July: Festivity of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Santiago del Teide
• 27 July: Monday following the Festivity of Santa Ana in Candelaria

With councils, understandably, diverting the cash that would have been spent on fiestas to vulnerable residents and those in most need, these, at best, just tell you when to expect shops and town halls in those areas to be closed for the day. And even if the state of alarm has come to an end, the so-called new normality still requires social distancing and prohibits crowds, so we can merely point out what events are NOT taking place this July that we hope will be back in 2021.

• More than 11,000 people attended the Romería de San Benito Abad last year in La Laguna. Said to be the most representative romería of the Canary Islands, it is usually held on the second Sunday of July. 
• More than 130,000 people have attended the Embarcación de la Virgen del Carmen in Puerto de la Cruz that usually takes place on the Tuesday before 16 July and thus would have been on the 14th. 
• Chirche's Traditions Day has been celebrated in July for almost two decades with local residents and volunteers recreating what daily life was like during the 40-50s of the 20th century, characterised down to the last detail. Last year more than 6,000 visitors arrived.
• And on 25 July, Santa Cruz usually reenacts the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1797) to celebrate its proud victory over that dastardly English Admiral, Horatio Nelson, whose failed attempt on the city cost him his right arm. This year, just one battle is to be recreated, without public in attendance, recorded so it can be shown online.