Santa Cruz Carnival Tenerife

Santa Cruz Carnival Tenerife

Tenerife is bursting with fiestas. They range from town processions to romerias, which are festive pilgrimages leading from town churches to the country side. Religious and saint days are the most common reason for fiestas. The exception to this however is the Carnaval that greeting the arrival of spring, which goes back to pagan rituals.

 

The Carvaval is celebrated throughout the whole of Tenerife, but by far the largest and chaotic is the one held in the island capital Santa Cruz. The carnival festivities go on for 3 weeks but the mains events happen over one week with spectacular processions.

 

The Tenerife carnaval is comes second only to the Rio de Janeiro carnaval, and Diana Ross was spotted there a couple of years ago.

 

Santa Cruz Carnaval Schedule

A different theme is chosen every year, the first few days there are competitions, concerts, parades, events for children and gala a night the election of the carnaval queen. The grand parade takes place the following Friday and all night dancing continues for the following week.

 

The carnival is linked to the easter calendar and as such are different every year. The carnival queen is elected on the Wednesday before Shrove Tuesday and is a huge gala evening.

 

The elected carnival Queen is paraded throught the streets on the Friday before Shrove Tuesday when the carnival gets going with the Cabalgata Anunciadora.

 

The main carnival is on Shrove Tuesday in Sanata Cruz and ends with a spectacular firewoks display.

 

On Ash Wednesday the Burial of the Sardine takes place in santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz were me dress up as women.

 

On The Saturday after Ash Wednesday is the Junior Parade in Santa Cruz and the main carnival in Puerto de la Cruz.

 

Tenerife Carnival Dates 2013

Santa Cruz Main Carnival February 12th

Burial of the Sardine February 13th

Puerto de la Cruz Main Carnival February 16th

 

How to get to Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz in situated on the north eastern coast of Tenerife and can got to by road. Santa Cruz is about 50 minutes by car from the southern resorts of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos. The Titsa bus route 111 goes from Playa de las Americas bus station via Los Cristianos to Santa Cruz and takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.

 

From the northern resort of Puerto de la Cruz the bus route 102 and 103 go to Santa Cruz and the journey takes about 45 minutes.

 

Santa Cruz location is marked on the map below.

 

 

Other festivals in Tenerife occur throughout the year.

 

May:

Los Realejos

This fiesta dates back to 1676 and honours the patron of farmers, San Isidro

 

June

La Oratava

Here the residents of La Oratava celebrate Corpus Christi.

 

June

La Oratava

The Sunday after the Corpus Christi celebrations where farmers use cow driven carts and dress as magicians.

 

July

La Laguna

A procession features seven women, one for each of the Canary Islands. This is followed by a procession of floats, maypole dancing and others dressed in traditional dress and lots of noise and decorated streets.

 

15 August

Candelaria

This fiesta coincides with the \feast of Consumption. The pilgrims meet on 14th august and a grand ceremony takes place to commemorate the visitation of the Virgin Mary to the guanches. Then follows a procession to the Pozo de la Virgen were fireworks are let off.

 

August

Garachio

This fiesta originates from the 17th century plague when it struck Garachio. The town’s people appealed to Saint Roach who had devoted himself to plague victims in Italy in the 14th century. Every year the people of garachio converge  at the chapel of San Roque, outside the town and take an image of saint Roach to Iglesia de Santa Anna in Garachio where Mass is held. A procession of the town’s folk then brings back the saint to his chapel.

 

30 November

Puerto de le Cruz and Icod de los Vinos

On the eve of St Andrews day the wine cellars of Tenerife are opened to welcome the year’s new wines. Some town’s celebrations are very noisy as everyone drinks the wine from the cellars.

 

Last modified on Monday, 06 January 2020 13:23