After more than 20 years, posts here will now only be occasional ( |
| From the Cabalgata Anunciadora (Carnival Opening Parade) on 1 Mar 2019 |
Searching for information on the Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife Carnival or Karneval Teneriffa 2026 then you've come to the right place.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2026 has a theme and a calendar
‘Ritmos latinos’ (Latin rhythms) will be the theme of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2026, which will be held between January 16 and February 22. The choice of theme is the result of the online vote, organized by the capital city council, which won with 34.21% of popular support over the other options. The result was announced on the final day of the 2025 carnival in Santa Cruz.
CONFIRMED: The next edition of the Carnival, in 2026, will begin on Friday, January 16 with the Opening Ceremony. After that inauguration and the long list of contests (below, based on many previous years' timetables), Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2026 in the streets will begin on Friday, 13 February 2026, with the Opening Parade and will end on Piñata Sunday, February 22.
- Friday, 16 January: Inauguration of Carnival 2026
- Thursday, 22 January: 1st Phase of the Junior Murgas Contest
- Friday, 23 January: 2nd Phase of the Junior Murgas Contest
- Saturday, 24 January: 3rd Phase of the Junior Murgas Contest
- Sunday, 25 January: Festival of Choreographed Groups
- Monday, 26 January: 1st Phase of the Adult Murga Contest
- Tuesday, 27 January: 2nd Phase of the Adult Murga Contest
- Wednesday, 28 January: 3rd Phase of the Adult Murga Contest
- Friday, 30 January: Final of the Murga Contests
- Saturday, 31 January: Contest of Musical Groups
- Sunday, 1 February: Gala Election of the Junior Carnival Queen
- Wednesday, 4 February: Gala of the Senior Carnival Queen
- Thursday, 5 February: Comedy Song Contest
- Saturday, 7 February: Comparsas Contest
- Sunday, 8 February: Costume Contest and the Rondallas Contest
- Tuesday, 10 February: Los Fregolinos Concert
- Wednesday, 11 February: Gala Election of the Carnival Queen
- Thursday, 12 February: Festival of Zarzuela
- Friday, 13 February: Opening Parade
- Saturday, 14 February: Rhythm and Harmony Comparsas
- Sunday, 15 February: Daytime Carnaval
- Monday, 16 February: Carnaval Monday
- Shrove Tuesday, 17 February: Carnival Main Parade
- Wednesday, 18 February: Burial of the Sardine
- Thursday, 19 February: Festival of Rondallas
- Friday, 20 February: Children's Carnival Parade
- Saturday, 21 February: Daytime Carnaval
- Sunday, 22 February: Exhibition and parade of vintage and classic cars, end of carnival party and carnival closes with a firework display
Many of the events can be watched live on CarnavalTVC
(Don't worry about carnival in the streets beginning on Friday the 13th, because it's Martes 13 (Tuesday 13th) that is considered unlucky in Spain.)
Thirty years before: Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen 1996
Twenty years before: Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen 2006
Ten years before: Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen 2016
Puerto de la Cruz Carnival 2026
- Thursday 12 February - Election of the Carnival Queen
- Saturday 14 February - Proclamatory Parade
- Wednesday 18 February - Burial of the Sardine
- Friday 20 February - Mascarita Ponte Tacón
- Saturday 21 February - Main Parade
Los Gigantes Carnival 2026
Los Cristianos Carnival 2026
As ever, we won't even guess when Los Cristianos carnival will be held. Once available, the dates can generally be found within the relevant year's Calendario de Fiestas del Municipio (Calendar of the municipality's festivals). However ... Even if Arona publish dates ahead, they are in the habit of changing the dates at the very last minute and these changes have not been advertised nor reported in the media, so it requires constant manual watching of their site (above) to know.All dates are subject to changes that are beyond our control