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Searching for information on the Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife Carnival or Karneval Teneriffa 2027 then you've come to the right place.
The year 2027 is an important anniversary for Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as it is forty years since the first time the carnival had a theme - in 1987 that first theme was "Rome". That was also the year that Santa Cruz Carnival got into the Guinness Book of Records when the late Celia Cruz with the Sonora Matancera and Billo's Caracas Boys led the line up of an unforgettable Carnival Tuesday night with more than 240,000 attendees. (That number was since greatly exceeded, but not officially recorded.)
Look back over 40 years of Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife:
Santa Cruz en Carnaval 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, Guardians of the Sceptre 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
“Roma Eterna: El Imperio del Carnaval” (Eternal Rome: The Carnival Empire), theme of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2027
Santa Cruz has selected the theme for its 2027 Carnival: “Eternal Rome: The Empire of Carnival.” This concept pays homage to the festival's origins and highlights the essence of the Carnival by bridging the past, present, and future, demonstrating the event's continuous evolution and its ability to adapt to changing times. Unlike other years, this theme was not chosen through a public vote; instead, the decision was made by the Santa Cruz Department of Festivities, based on the theme's symbolic and historical significance in honouring the true spirit of the Carnival.
In 1987—forty years ago—Rome marked a turning point in the history of the Santa Cruz Carnival. It was the first theme to provide aesthetic and narrative cohesion to the entire celebration, serving as a unifying storyline.
City Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez highlights that “once again, Santa Cruz demonstrates its ability to evolve without losing its roots, celebrating the origins of a festival that is integral to our identity and our vision of the city.”
“This marks forty years of a specific approach—a fundamental shift in how we understand our Carnival. That is what we want to celebrate with a theme that speaks to our sense of belonging,” the mayor added.
Javier Caraballero, the Councillor for Festivities, elaborates on this concept, noting that “we want the city to continue experiencing Carnival through that sense of belonging—taking pride in who we are and what we have created together.”
Forty years later, the Carnival returns to that starting point to honour the origins of a model that has defined the festival's modern identity—and remains a central element of every edition to this day. Over the past four decades, the practice of adopting an annual theme has enabled us to develop a unique language, creating distinct worlds for each edition that help maintain a connection to the festival's essence.
Cantered on the concept "Eternal Rome: The Carnival Empire," the city will transform into a vast stage where everything revolves around a single idea: Rome as a symbol of collective creation—much like Carnival itself—that has evolved over time without losing its identity.
This approach reimagines Carnival as a grand empire defined by the festivities: a space where performance troupes, musical groups, queens, rondallas, dance ensembles, floats, and the public come together to shape a vibrant, ever-changing cultural tapestry, with the streets serving as the main stage.
The celebration of the third edition of the Senior Carnival in Plaza de la Candelaria had brought a successful edition to a close in 2026, particularly due to the splendour of the second Daytime Carnival, which drew 425,000 people on Piñata Saturday. It evoked memories of epic events, such as Celia Cruz's Guinness World Record in 1987 - when 250,000 revellers danced outdoors - or Juan Luis Guerra's edition in 2019, when it was reported that more than 400,000 carnival-goers participated. Santa Cruz bid farewell to Carnival this Piñata Sunday. True to tradition, the festivities began in García Sanabria Park with a classic car show, whose roaring engines and honking horns then filled the air as people strolled through the heart of the city. Almost simultaneously, the Afilarmónica Ni Fú-Ni Fá was singing the final songs of the Latin Rhythms Carnival in the bandstand in Plaza del Príncipe.
However, it closed without announcing the dates and theme of the next carnival and, instead the organizers decided to take a period of reflection. The reason being that, if the liturgical calendar, which sets the dates for Easter (and consequently Lent and Carnival), were applied, the festivities in 2027 would have begun on January 8th, only two days after The Three Kings have visited and leaving no time to make preparations. It was later announced that the start of carnival would be delayed for two weeks, with the Opening Gala being moved from January 8th to January 22nd, 2027, while Carnival in the streets will take place from February 19th to 28th.
Santa Cruz unveils the official program of competitions, galas, and events for Carnival 2027
Consequently, the schedule—which traditionally maintained a one-week gap between the opening gala and the first competition—will proceed differently this year: following the January 22 kick-off, the Musical Groups Competition will take place on Saturday, January 23, just one day after the opening. This decision responds to the groups' request to be the first Carnival contest and to hold the event on a Saturday. They will be followed on Sunday, January 24, by the Choreographic Groups, placing dance at the heart of the festivities.
The event schedule continues with the Children's Murga Competition; the first and second rounds will be held on Friday, January 29, and Saturday, January 30, respectively. The weekend will conclude on Sunday, January 31, with the Rondalla Competition. The following week, adult Murgas (musical troupes) [stretching the term musical to breaking point] will take centre stage, performing their preliminary rounds between February 1 and 4 and culminating in the grand *murga* final on the 6th. Come Sunday, the Children's Queen Gala will take place at the Fairgrounds.
It will be the turn of the elderly on Wednesday, February 10, with the Senior Queen Gala and the Senior Citizens' Festival. Friday the 12th will feature the Canción de la Risa (Comedy Song Contest)—a prelude to the Comparsa Competition, which will fill the stage with colour on Saturday, February 13. The week will conclude on Sunday the 14th with the traditional costume contest.
The week before Carnival takes to the streets, the festival's new sovereign will be crowned at the highly anticipated Carnival Queen Selection Gala on Wednesday the 17th, followed by the Los Fregolinos concert on Tuesday the 16th and the Zarzuela Festival on Thursday the 18th.
On Friday, February 19, Carnival will hit the streets with the opening parade, the float and decorated vehicle contest, and the first night of Carnival dances. On Saturday the 20th, the comparsas will hold their increasingly popular "Rhythm and Harmony" contest, a prelude to another night of dancing. The week will wrap up on Sunday with the traditional concert by La Fufa [Afilarmónica NiFú-NiFá] and Los Fregolinos and the first Daytime Carnival event.
Monday, February 22, will see one of the festival's most crowded nights, featuring the fourth edition of the Dragnaval Gala and street dances celebrating the eve of Carnival Tuesday—the day the grand Coso Apoteosis (Main Parade) parade makes its way through the city. On Thursday the 25th, is the Inclusive Carnival and the Rondalla Festival will take the spotlight, as will the youngest Carnival participants on Friday with their Children's Carnival Parade, leading into the "Piñata Friday" dances. Saturday will feature the highly anticipated Daytime Carnival and the Saturday night dances, marking the conclusion of the festivities after more than 18 hours of non-stop music. On Sunday, following the Senior Carnival, the vintage car show, the "Fufa y La Zarzuela" concert, and the fireworks display, the official 2027 Carnival program will come to a close.
This amended schedule is probably still subject to change:
- Friday 22 January 2027: Inauguration of Carnival 2027
- Saturday, 23 January: Musical Groups Competition
- Sunday, 24 January: Festival of Choreographed Groups
- Friday, 29 January: 1st Phase of the Junior Murgas Contest
- Saturday, 30 January: 2nd Phase of the Junior Murgas Contest
- Sunday, 31 January: Rondallas Contest
- Monday, 1 February: 1st Phase of the Adult Murga Contest
- Tuesday, 2 February: 2nd Phase of the Adult Murga Contest
- Wednesday, 3 February: 3rd Phase of the Adult Murga Contest
- Thursday, 4 February: 4th Phase of the Adult Murga Contest
- Saturday, 6 February: Final of the Murga Contests
- Sunday, 7 February: Gala Election of the Junior Carnival Queen
- Wednesday, 10 February: Gala of the Senior Carnival Queen
- Thursday, 11 February: Comedy Song Contest
- Saturday, 13 February: Comparsas Contest
- Sunday, 14 February: Costume Contest
- Tuesday, 16 February: Los Fregolinos Concert
- Wednesday, 17 February: Gala Election of the Carnival Queen
- Thursday, 18 February: Festival of Zarzuela
- Friday, 19 February: Opening Parade
- Saturday 20 February: Rhythm and Harmony Comparsas
- Sunday 21 February: Daytime Carnaval
- Monday 22 February: Carnaval Monday and Dragnaval Gala
- Tuesday 23 February: Carnival Main Parade
- Wednesday 24 February: Burial of the Sardine
- Thursday 25 February: Inclusive Carnaval and Festival of Rondallas
- Friday 26 February: Children's Carnival Parade
- Saturday 27 February: Daytime Carnaval
- Sunday 28 February: Exhibition and parade of vintage cars, Senior Carnival and carnival closes with a firework display
Many of the events can be watched live on CarnavalTVC
Puerto de la Cruz Carnival 2027
- Thursday 4 February - Election of the Carnival Queen
- Saturday 6 February - Proclamatory Parade
- Wednesday 10 February - Burial of the Sardine
- Friday 12 February - Mascarita Ponte Tacón
- Saturday 13 February - Main Parade
Los Gigantes Carnival 2027
Los Cristianos Carnival 2027
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