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... the most detailed English language website on the island.

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.

Wednesday, 17 February 2021

Tenerife Carnival Dates for 2021

Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2021 Carnival Poster

Only virtual carnival events take place between 17 February and 7 March. There will be no carnival events in the streets in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2021. 

Mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, announced on 8 Oct 2020 that the City Council has had to suspend the 2021 edition of the Carnival to protect citizens against the coronavirus pandemic. The "difficult decision" not to celebrate the carnival festivities in the street next year, is because there are no adequate sanitary circumstances for it. “Right now we are experiencing two emergencies. One is the health crisis and the other is the socioeconomic crisis, which is a consequence of the first one ”, he said this Thursday during a press conference to inform about the news regarding the 2021 Carnival.

The mayor especially emphasized that "there are no sanitary circumstances [that would allow us] to celebrate the carnival as we have always celebrated, in the street and in a free and disorderly way, which is how we like to celebrate it." “Therefore - he continued - Santa Cruz de Tenerife will not celebrate the next edition of Carnival in the way we have been used to celebrating it for 60 years. We cannot celebrate it in the same way as always with thousands of people from here and abroad”. He recalled that the carnival of the Tenerife capital has taken place in it's current form since 1961, so it's "not an easy" decision.

Here, the mayor pointed out that it is a decision motivated by the persistence of the health crisis, since a second wave of the coronavirus is being experienced "that unfortunately we still cannot control"; and by the need to preserve "above all" the protection of citizens. Bermúdez stressed that the Tenerife Carnival has thus been added to other great Spanish festivals such as the Fallas, the Sanfermines or the April Fair, also suspended at the time.

The City Council is working with the Carnival groups on some activities that can maintain the spirit of the festivities during the weeks in which it should have been celebrated, activities that “would allow [us] to keep the flame alive of the party and remind us that we will always have the best carnival in the world ”.

Santa Cruz suspende el Carnaval 2021

Santa Cruz Virtual Carnival Program 2021 

The program of 25 audiovisual activities and multimedia events will be broadcast on television and the internet. The activities incude 7 photography contests; an exhibition at the Casa del Carnaval; a talk show; and five productions that will be broadcast on Televisión Canaria; in addition to different live broadcasts through OAFAR's social networks. All this is complemented by a series of multimedia surprises that will be revealed during the carnival period. 

The events scheduled in this virtual edition of the Santa Cruz carnival, conclude with the ‘Santa Cruz, Corazón del Carnaval’ (Santa Cruz, Heart of Carnival) gala, on Sunday 7 March at 21:30 on Televisión Canaria and Televisión Española; in which the three Guardians of the Sceptre will be chosen, made up of former carnival queens, in the adult, child and senior categories. This show of approximately two and a half hours will be punctuated by good humor and many surprises; in addition to appealing to nostalgia and the feeling of hope to once again recover the essence of carnival in the streets of the capital.

Mexican Singer Carlos Rivera
Image: Marty Berryman
Some rights reserved
One of the most anticipated surprises will be the presence of the international singer Carlos Rivera, who joins the more than 30 Canarian artists and the numerous members of murgas, comparsas, rondallas and musical groups that participate in the different musical numbers. 

A total of nine renowned presenters of radio and television  will be part of the gala that will unveil the Guardians of the Scepter, "Santa Cruz, el Corazón del Carnaval" (Santa Cruz, Heart of Carnival), along with more than 30 local artists and Mexican singer Carlos Rivera, including: journalists Pilar Rumeu y Alicia Rodríguez, Televisión Canaria; Bene Fuentes, Antena 3; Guillermo García, Cadena COPE; Manolo Artiles, Mírame TV; Sergio de la Rosa, Radio Nacional de España; Manoj Daswani, Radio Club Tenerife; Carolina González, Televisión Española en Canarias and Miguel Ángel Daswani, presenter of Canarias Radio. Each have each recorded their intervention in the show that will be broadcast on March 7 by Televisión Canaria, in different time blocks: a strict recording format adapted to current sanitary measures.

Eight Musical Groups that participated in the filming were Chaxiraxi, Caña dulce, Sabor isleño, SiBoney, Teiderife, Salsabor, Cantares Luz de Luna and Los Yuppies, with two members of each to limit the number of people present.

El Carnaval virtual con la elección de las Guardianas del Cetro

"La Noche de las Comparsas"

"Quimbara", by Tropicana, chosen as the best performance in "La Noche de las Comparsas". The performance "Quimbara" (2018), by Tropicana, won the award for the best choreography of recent decades, after a popular vote with which concluded 'La Noche de las Comparsas' (The Night of the Comparsas), television show broadcast last night, Saturday 6 March, in which eight carnival groups competed for this recognition. After more than three hours of broadcasting, presenters, Alexis Hernández and Laura Afonso proclaimed at around 01:30 hours this morning, the troupe led by José Bolaños as the winner of the night. This new accolade was delivered by the mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, and by councillor for fiestas, Alfonso Cabello.


The theme of carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2021 was announced on 11 Mar 2020. A total of 19,904 votes were cast online and the results were as follows:
6. Far West with 9% of the vote
5. Africa 13%
4. The Amazon 16%
3. Otaku - Japan of the 21st Century with 19%
2. Ancient Greece 21%
... and, in a very close first place, the winner is Carnavales del Mundo (Carnivals of the World) with 22% of the vote. 

Puerto de la Cruz Carnival

  • Thursday 11 February 2021 - Election of the Carnival Queen
  • Saturday 13 February 2021 - Proclamatory Parade
  • Wednesday 17 February 2021 - Burial of the Sardine
  • Friday 19 February 2021 - Men´s Marathon in High Heels
  • Saturday 20 February 2021 - Main Parade
Puerto de la Cruz Carnival is also being celebrated online this year.

Neither Los Gigantes nor Los Cristianos carnivals are taking place.
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Wednesday, 3 February 2021

Garbage is part of the landscape in Buenavista

Playa del Fraile, Buenavista del Norte

The Telesforo Bravo Foundation discovered packed waste three meters high from the old landfill: Remains of bottles, food packages or toys are interspersed with stones and sand, forming a peculiar landscape in Buenavista. It is one of the main consequences of the human hand in the environment, visible in waste deposits (techno-fossils) mixed with natural elements, forming soils.

A succession of different strata in which alluvial material and hillside debris have "packed" about three meters of various waste from the old Buenavista landfill, active during the 40s to 80s of the 20th century. In those 40 years the predominant material was glass, not yet plastic and bottles and broken glass appear everywhere, in addition to clothes, coffee packages, toys ... "All human beings should have the opportunity to contemplate the trace that we left on this planet to try to minimize them and this is a good place ", explains the Foundation regarding the area, located specifically on the beach of El Fraile.

This impact is visible in different ways and one of them is in waste deposits
 (techno-fossils) mixed with natural elements, forming soils.

Despite the fact that the dumping of waste ceased a long time ago and a walkway was built over the landfill in 91, "the sea is undermining it, uncovering the waste and at high tide taking it into the water", so they opine that "action is urgent." In addition, the area adjoins the Teno Rural Park, which is also "suffering the arrival of this garbage by sea."

La basura ya forma parte del paisaje en Buenavista

Playa del Fraile, Buenavista, Tenerife
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Tuesday, 2 February 2021

Candelmas and the Virgin of Candelaria

Las Candelas candlelight procession on February 1st. Image: Ayuntamiento de Candelaria.

Virgen de Candelaria
Every year, 2 February, a Public Holiday in Tenerife, sees events in honour of the Virgen de la Candelaria (Virgin of Candelaria), the patron of the Canary Islands.

The Candelmas Procession on the night of 1 February, is when the lights of the town are switched off for worshippers to take part in the candlelit procession. In the middle of the 5th century the celebration was known as the "Festival of lights". It is not known when the candlelight processions related to this festival began, but they were already celebrated with solemnity in the 10th century.

In the afternoon the Eucharist is offered and then the procession of the Candelas (Candlelight Procession) is carried out, after being blessed, with the passage of the Virgin of Candelaria, escorted by a multitude of candles, through the streets of Obispo Pérez Cáceres and Los Princes, returning again to its altar, where the solemn acts of the Candelaria festivity will take place the next day.

The Fiesta de la Candelaria (Candlemas) begins with a Civic Procession with the transfer of the coat of arms of La Villa to the Basilica of Candelaria, presided over by the mayor of Candelaria, accompanied by the local Corporation.

Festive in Tenerife

The festival of La Candelaria, Las Candelas or La Luz (Candlemas) - despite not being the island's patron saint, which is the Virgen de Los Remedios - has been a holiday on the island of Tenerife since 2004. Hundreds of pilgrims attend the traditional procession of Las Candelas or on the day of the Virgin itself.

Although the arrival of pilgrims and faithful is lower than that of August 15, it's also a great day for Candelaria, a municipality that owes its name to that wood carving that found the Guanches on the beach of Chimisay, in Güímar. Since then, Candelaria has lived inextricably attached to this religious image, so much so that a good part of its commerce and restaurants are associated with the presence of the Patron Saint, who today will wear one of her spectacular, richly decorated light blue cloaks. The Virgin of Candelaria celebrates two great festivals (February 2 and August 15). It was from 1714, as a result of the death of five women at the summit in the cold, when the pilgrimage of the faithful was moved to August, according to the official chronicler of the municipality, Octavio Rodríguez.

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Monday, 1 February 2021

Tenerife in February 2021

At the Cabalgata Anunciadora (Carnival Opening Parade) 2020

February 2 is a public holiday on the island of Tenerife for the Virgen de la Candelaria, the Patroness of the Canary Islands. However, events in Candelaria, as expected, have been restricted to the religious only with no procession. Forty days after Christmas Candelaria (Candlemas) is celebrated, which officially marks the end of the Christmas period and in the Vatican, Christmas decorations are kept until that day. As was traditional in Medieval and Tudor times, the Eve of Candlemas (1st February) was the day on which Christmas decorations and greenery were removed from people's homes and churches.

Carnival in Santa Cruz should have been taking place in the streets between Fri 12 Feb and Sun 21 Feb, but despite having been cancelled this year, many districts have still opted for Carnival Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday), 16 February, as a holiday in their municipality; Arafo, Arico, Arona, Candelaria, El Rosario, El Sauzal, Fasnia, Granadilla, La Matanza, La Orotava, La Victoria, La Laguna, San Miguel, Santa Úrsula and Tacoronte. Despite there being nothing festive to celebrate, the reason cited was to not mess with the school calendar. 

The virtual carnival events, 17 February - 7 March, end with a television gala, ‘Santa Cruz, Corazón del Carnaval’ (Santa Cruz, Heart of Carnival). 

Puerto de la Cruz City Council has organized the most special edition of a carnival that will take place on social networks. The opening ceremony will be broadcast through YouTube and social networks on Friday, February 12, in addition to the presentation on Sunday, February 14 of the virtual costume contest, open to the participation of all citizens of Puerto. Another of the events that will be broadcast on social networks will be the presentation of carnival candidates on Friday, February 19.


Icod de Los Vinos Carnival 2021 runs until Saturday 20 February. We probably wouldn't have seen any of this carnival in the past, but this year coverage has mostly moved online and via Mírame TV Canarias. 

Saturday 13 Feb from 19:00hrs: Drags 2021, live from the Teatro-Cine Fajardo (with limited capacity) being streamed by Mírame TV.

Sunday 14 Feb at 19:00hrs: retransmission of the Carnival Queen Gala 2020 by Mirame TV.

Monday 15 Feb from 21:00hrs on Mirame TV, retransmissions of the Carnival Main Parade from 2020.

There are Almond Blossom Walks, but still no fiestas or romerías taking place.
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