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Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
This is not so well known but the capital of Tenerife, the biggest island in the whole Canaries, holds the second biggest carnival in the world. It is no surprise that Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a twinned city with Rio de Janeiro – the host of the biggest carnival in the world – Carnival of Rio de Janeiro. Throughout the years with the growing tourism, the popularity of the event only grew.
In 1987 more than 250,000 gathered for the performance of Celia Cruz during the Carnival and it was registered by World Guinness Book Records as the biggest people gathering in an outdoor plaza to date. Though it was not acknowledged by the same institution, it is well-recognized that more than 400,000 people gathered during Day Carnival in 2019.
The celebration of the carnival has been in the Canary Islands since the arrival of Europeans. Though considered to be a Christian event, it could be a continuation of some kind of pagan tradition to celebrate the return of light.
Today it is the biggest annual event held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but not everybody all the time likes the idea of carnival and wearing masks. Throughout history, there have been several attempts to ban masks or the carnival itself. Despite all the attempts the celebrations persisted. Together with Cadiz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife continued to celebrate the carnival even during the Franco regime when the event was banned, probably due to pagan origins. The resilience of people might be the reason why Santa Cruz de Tenerife hosts such a big carnival these days.
I’ve been to Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife only for The Grand Parade day but from what I saw – it left me with the impression that the city is partying for the whole duration of the Carnival. So, it depends on what you are after for but if fun is the goal – the closer to the city center – the closer to the action. If you are interested only in the parade part of the carnival – anywhere would do. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to get there somehow. TITSA transportation company will have an increased number of buses operating, depending on the crowds.
Staying close to the city center will make you feel like part of the carnival even when at home. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots
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Main events: The Queen’s Gala (Feb 7), The Opening Parade of the Carnival (Feb 13), The Big Carnival Parade in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (17 Feb)
Carnival Map
Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2024 Schedule
In 2019 when I was visiting Santa Cruz de Tenerife for the event I found it quite difficult to find relevant information except in Spanish. The schedule and location information are taken from the official carnival website(find the reference at the end of the article) and translated into English. Also, I added Google Maps directions to all the locations where the event is taking place. I hope you find this useful because it was exactly what I needed in 2019 when I last visited the carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Week 1
Friday Jan 12
21:30 – Opening of Carnival 2024
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Though it is hard to take picture of orchestra performances, they are as much impressive as the Queens of Carnival. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots
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Sunday, Feb 11
11:00 – Performance of the Afilarmónica Ni fú-Ni fa – Plaza del Príncipe;
During the Grand Parade of the Carnival you can see all of the Queen of Carnival finalists. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots
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Week 6
Monday, Feb 12
All day – Carnival’s Monday
Tuesday, Feb 13
11:00 – Performance of the Afilarmónica Ni fú-Ni fa – Plaza del Príncipe;
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18:00 – End of Fiesta, the tour of groups through the center of the city. At the end of the great fireworks display – Ron Barceló Stage in the Plaza de La Candelaria;
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