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Tenerife Carnival |
The key date for Carnaval in Tenerife is Shrove Tuesday, when the Gran Coso Apoteosis - Carnaval Main Parade - takes place in the capital, Santa Cruz from 4pm. This is the same day as Mardi Gras in New Orleans, so we've borrowed their dates and cross-checked them with a local carnaval calendar:
YEAR | Election of the Carnival Queen | Shrove Tuesday Main Parade | Carnival in the streets |
2004 | Wed 18 Feb 04 | Tue 24 Feb 04 | Fri 20 Feb - Sun 29 Feb |
2005 | Wed 2 Feb 05 | Tue 8 Feb 05 | Fri 4 Feb - Sun 13 Feb |
2006 | Wed 22 Feb 06 | Tue 28 Feb 06 | Fri 24 Feb - Sun 5 Mar |
2007 | Wed 14 Feb 07 | Tue 20 Feb 07 | Fri 16 Feb - Sun 25 Feb |
2008 | Wed 30 Jan 08 | Tue 5 Feb 08 | Fri 1 Feb - Sun 10 Feb |
2009 | Wed 18 Feb 09 | Tue 24 Feb 09 | Fri 20 Feb - Sun 1 Mar |
2010 | Wed 10 Feb 10 | Tue 16 Feb 10 | Fri 12 Feb - Sun 21 Feb |
2011 | Wed 2 Mar 11 | Tue 8 Mar 11 | Fri 4 Mar - Sun 13 Mar |
2012 | Wed 15 Feb 12 | Tue 21 Feb 12 | Fri 17 Feb - Sun 26 Feb |
2013 | Wed 6 Feb 13 | Tue 12 Feb 13 | Fri 8 Feb - Sun 17 Feb |
2014 | Wed 26 Feb 14 | Tue 4 Mar 14 | Fri 28 Feb - Sun 9 Mar |
2015 | Wed 11 Feb 15 | Tue 17 Feb 15 | Fri 13 Feb - Sun 22 Feb |
2016 | Wed 3 Feb 16 | Tue 9 Feb 16 | Fri 5 Feb - Sun 14 Feb |
2017 | Wed 22 Feb 17 | Tue 28 Feb 17 | Fri 24 Feb - Sun 5 Mar |
2018 | Wed 7 Feb 18 | Tue 13 Feb 18 | Fri 9 Feb - Sun 18 Feb |
2019 | Wed 27 Feb 19 | Tue 5 Mar 19 | Fri 1 Mar - Sun 10 Mar |
2020 | Wed 19 Feb 20 | Tue 25 Feb 20 | Fri 21 Feb - Sun 1 Mar |
2021 | Sun 7 Mar 2021 | No Parades | |
2022 | Fri 10 Jun 2022 | No Main Parade | Thu 23 - Sun 26 Jun |
2023 | Wed 15 Feb 23 | Tue 21 Feb 23 | Fri 17 Feb - Sun 26 Feb |
2024 | Wed 7 Feb 24 | Tue 13 Feb 24 | Fri 9 Feb - Sun 18 Feb |
2025 | Wed 26 Feb 25 | Tue 4 Mar 25 | Fri 28 Feb - Sun 9 Mar |
2026 | Wed 11 Feb 26 | Tue 17 Feb 26 | Fri 13 Feb - Sun 22 Feb |
2027 | Wed 3 Feb 27 | Tue 9 Feb 27 | Fri 5 Feb - Sun 14 Feb |
2028 | Wed 23 Feb 28 | Tue 29 Feb 28 | Fri 25 Feb - Sun 5 Mar |
2029 | Wed 7 Feb 29 | Tue 13 Feb 29 | Fri 9 Feb - Sun 18 Feb |
2030 | Wed 27 Feb 30 | Tue 5 Mar 30 | Fri 1 Mar - Sun 10 Mar |
2031 | Wed 19 Feb 31 | Tue 25 Feb 31 | Fri 21 Feb - Sun 2 Mar |
2032 | Wed 4 Feb 32 | Tue 10 Feb 32 | Fri 6 Feb - Sun 15 Feb |
2033 | Wed 23 Feb 33 | Tue 1 Mar 33 | Fri 25 Feb - Sun 6 Mar |
2034 | Wed 15 Feb 34 | Tue 21 Feb 34 | Fri 17 Feb - Sun 26 Feb |
2035 | Wed 31 Jan 35 | Tue 6 Feb 35 | Fri 2 Feb - Sun 11 Feb |
2036 | Wed 20 Feb 36 | Tue 26 Feb 36 | Fri 22 Feb - Sun 2 Mar |
2037 | Wed 11 Feb 37 | Tue 17 Feb 37 | Fri 13 Feb - Sun 22 Feb |
2038 | Wed 3 Mar 38 | Tue 9 Mar 38 | Fri 5 Mar - Sun 14 Mar |
2039 | Wed 16 Feb 39 | Tue 22 Feb 39 | Fri 18 Feb - Sun 27 Feb |
2040 | Wed 8 Feb 40 | Tue 14 Feb 40 | Fri 10 Feb - Sun 19 Feb |
2041 | Wed 27 Feb 41 | Tue 5 Mar 41 | Fri 1 Mar - Sun 10 Mar |
2042 | Wed 12 Feb 42 | Tue 18 Feb 42 | Fri 14 Feb - Sun 23 Feb |
2043 | Wed 4 Feb 43 | Tue 10 Feb 43 | Fri 6 Feb - Sun 15 Feb |
2044 | Wed 24 Feb 44 | Tue 1 Mar 44 | Fri 26 Feb - Sun 6 Mar |
2045 | Wed 15 Feb 45 | Tue 21 Feb 45 | Fri 17 Feb - Sun 26 Feb |
2046 | Wed 31 Jan 46 | Tue 6 Feb 46 | Fri 2 Feb - Sun 11 Feb |
2047 | Wed 20 Feb 47 | Tue 26 Feb 47 | Fri 22 Feb - Sun 3 Mar |
2048 | Wed 12 Feb 48 | Tue 18 Feb 48 | Fri 14 Feb - Sun 23 Feb |
2049 | Wed 24 Feb 49 | Tue 2 Mar 49 | Fri 26 Feb - Sun 7 Mar |
2050 | Wed 16 Feb 50 | Tue 22 Feb 50 | Fri 18 Feb - Sun 27 Feb |
Santa Cruz Carnaval events generally (pandemic excepted) follow a regular pattern, which makes planning a bit easier. The earliest carnival in Santa Cruz has taken place was in 2008, when it took to the streets between Fri 1 Feb and Sun 10 Feb, and the latest will be in 2038, from Fri 5 Mar until Sun 14 Mar.
'Any Year' Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnaval Schedule
- The Wednesday BEFORE Shrove Tuesday: Gala for the Election of the Carnaval Queen in Santa Cruz. This event is a huge evening gala, usually lasting for several hours and is probably best seen on TV.
- The Friday BEFORE Shrove Tuesday: Once it has it's Queen, Santa Cruz Carnaval takes to the streets on the Friday evening, with the Cabalgata Anunciadora (Opening Parade) from ~8pm.
- The Saturday BEFORE Shrove Tuesday: Rhythm and Harmony Comparsas, Queen and her court on the Avenida Anaga from 9 pm.
- The Sunday BEFORE Shrove Tuesday: The first of the Carnaval de Día (Daytime Carnival) events with music and dancing in the streets.
- Carnival Monday is a big party night in Santa Cruz.
- Shrove Tuesday: (Martes de Carnaval): The Coso Apoteosis (Main Parade). All of the Queens and carnival groups take part, along the Avenidas de Anaga and Marítima, from around 4 pm.
- Ash Wednesday: Burial of the Sardine, when it's absolutely essential for men to dress up in drag as "Widows" to mourn the poor old defunct sardine and generally have a blasphemous night of it.
- The Friday AFTER Shrove Tuesday: In recent years, the Coso Infantil (Children's Carnival Parade) in Santa Cruz around 6pm.
- The Saturday AFTER Shrove Tuesday: Carnaval de Día (Daytime Carnival); free, live concerts in and around the streets and plazas of Santa Cruz from lunchtime onwards, then into the final night.
- The Sunday AFTER Shrove Tuesday: The Gran Concurso en la Ciudad de Automóviles Antiguos, when some beautiful vintage cars gather in the Parque García Sanabria from 10am and parade around the city from midday. End of Carnival Parties and Firework Display.
In the run up to the carnival, there are many other contests and events involving all the various singing and dancing troupes that form part of the carnival parades and, of course, alongside all of this is the fun fair, the food stalls, orchestras, dancing and concerts that go on in the streets until dawn.
We had hoped to include the Los Cristianos Carnaval dates in this table too, but we discovered that arrangements there are more of a moving target than a moveable feast, so it's utterly impossible to predict their timetable.
Getting to Carnaval in Santa Cruz
If you're staying in the south of Tenerife, there's no problem as extra buses are laid on each year, even during the night, which will take carnival goers between Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos and Santa Cruz. Don't take a car, because the traffic jams will be hours long and there will be nowhere to park anyway. Catch the 111 bus from Las Americas bus station or Los Cristianos and enjoy the journey with other carnival-goers that's an extension of the party!What to wear to Carnaval?
You can wear anything you like and nothing is too risque, although people not in costume will feel like the odd ones out. Each year, carnival has a theme, but it is not necessary to follow that unless you wish to do so. If you're going as a group, a family, or even as a couple, it's very customary for all members to dress alike, family dog included. One of the most fun things to do during the day at carnival is to people watch for the many creative and humorous interpretations of this.If you're a man, it's almost obligatory to dress up as a woman - however unconvincingly - especially when attending the Burial of the Sardine.
DISCLAIMER: Of course, all of these details are subject to changes that are way beyond our control. Hopefully, carnival will continue in more or less the same manner for the foreseeable future, especially when you consider that it has already overcome prohibitions during dictatorships and survived for more than 200 years and possibly as many as 400, but nothing is guaranteed. We've taken great care to check dates and take leap years into account when working out the dates of the various parades, but we accept no responsibility for errors (probably due to going cross-eyed.) Use this as a guide and double-check nearer to your dates of travel for best results. Batteries not included.
DISCLAIMER: Of course, all of these details are subject to changes that are way beyond our control. Hopefully, carnival will continue in more or less the same manner for the foreseeable future, especially when you consider that it has already overcome prohibitions during dictatorships and survived for more than 200 years and possibly as many as 400, but nothing is guaranteed. We've taken great care to check dates and take leap years into account when working out the dates of the various parades, but we accept no responsibility for errors (probably due to going cross-eyed.) Use this as a guide and double-check nearer to your dates of travel for best results. Batteries not included.
After carnival is Lent and after Lent is Easter. See dates and events here.