What's on around the Island
January 6th Dia de los Reyes Magos (Day of The Three Wise Men):
This day is celebrated all over the island, but in Agüimes in particular, where Epiphany is marked by a street parade, during which the Three Wise Men come, bearing gifts to the children of the town.
January/February
Soccer Tournament: Mostly European clubs on winter training camps in Gran Canaria participate in this tournament, taking place in Maspalomas.
Fiesta del Almendro en Flor (Festival of the Almond in Blossom): This fiesta takes place early February when the almond trees are in bloom. Celebrated on a grand scale in the towns of Tejeda and Valsequillo, this festival also provides the opportunity to taste the local produce, such as almond wines and sweets, and to enjoy traditional folk dancing and singing.
January/February/March
Carnival around the island:In Gran Canaria, they celebrate carnival at almost every corner of the island, but the most famous and most exuberant carnival activities are those of Las Palmas, San Bartolomé, Maspalomas, Agüimes, Agaete and Telde, each of these towns’ carnival festivities having its own trademark.
Some very keen revellers start with their carnival celebrations at the end of January, with the beginning of Shrovetide, following the festivities around the island and only stop, when their physical capacities are exhausted.
There are no limits regarding the costumes, so free rein is given to imagination and any personage or thing can serve as a pretext for a blunt masquerade or prank.
The various carnival celebrations in the municipalities are more than just popular festivals, they are fantastic shows with extensive programmes of activities and festivities, generally starting with an opening speech (pregón), full of humour and irony (if you understand the language). Then, during the weeks leading to the climax celebration of the last carnival weekend – before Ash Wednesday – follow the competitions for the ‘murgas’ (typical amateur carnival bands), ‘comparsas’ (Brazilian-like amateur carnival dancers) and music groups, mixed with many other events like song contests, comedy shows, etc. etc.
In general, carnival ends with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, but further down south, like in Playa del Inglés, it continues with another weekend of processions and parties held mainly around the Yumbo.
March/April
Holy Week: During the Semana Santa – the week before Easter – you will be able to see solemn pre-Easter processions, where sacred icons and religious statues are carried through the streets of many villages and towns throughout the island.
April
Rally Islas Canarias Trofeo El Corte Inglés: This is Gran Canaria’s biggest car rally, attracting many international competitors and its stages includes Ingenio to Tejeda, Artenara to Valleseco and Telde to Ayacata.
April 29th
Fiesta de los Aborigines (Fiesta of the Aborigines): This feast day marks the final uprising of the Guanches against the Spanish and the annexation of Gran Canaria by the Crown of Castile in 1483, with big ceremonies taking place at Fortaleza Grande near Santa Lucia as well as music and dancing events.
April 27th – May 4th
Fiestas del Queso: The small town of Santa Maria de Guia celebrates the making of its famous cheese with traditional music and dancing, along with plenty of cheese-eating.
May 1st
Feria del Caballo (Horse Festival): Held in Valsequillo, this equestrian show features horses running, jumping and generally performing.
May 30th
Día de las Canarias (Canarian Day): On this day, the emphasis is on the expression of popular culture, such as Canarian wrestling, stick-fighting and folk-dancing displays.
Late May/early June
Corpus Christi: Although of a very different nature, the feast of Corpus Christi lags just behind carnival celebrations in terms of popularity. As an act of showing their religious devotion in this time, people decorate streets and squares with beautiful carpets made of flowers, grasses and coloured sand. These carpets often also mark the route for the processions. Las Palmas sees the most outstanding flower decorations and the most colourful procession, but many other towns and villages throughout the island also celebrate the Feast of the Body of Christ with parades and other traditional activities.
Mid-July
Fiesta del Carmen: All ports in Gran Canaria honour the Virgin Mary, patron saint of all fishermen, but especially so in Arguineguin, Puerto de Mogán, Puerto de la Aldea and Gáldar, where celebrations can last up to one week. Statues of the Virgin are taken out to sea in processions of decorated boats.
August 4th
Bajada de la Rama (Bringing down the Branches): This colourful fiesta, one of the oldest on the island, has its roots in the Guanches’ rain dance and is held in Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves. Villagers carry pine branches from the mountains down to the sea and thrash the waves with them in an effort to bring rain.
September
Festival del Sur: Encuentro Internacional Tres Continentes and held in Agüimes each year, this is a very attractive international theatre festival with performances from European, Latin American and African groups.
September 8th
Every year, on the 8th of September, the Fiesta de la Virgen del Pino (Feast of Our Lady of the Pines) is celebrated and numerous pilgrims from all over the island come to Teror to pay reverence to the saint. This feast is not only the biggest event in the region – it is also the most important religious festival on the island’s calendar and the celebrations usually go on for one week.
September 11th
Fiesta del Charco (Festival of the Lagoon): The origins of this fiesta, one of the oldest on Gran Canaria, hark back to an aboriginal past. It is held in Puerto de la Aldea, municipality of San Nicolás de Tolentino. Traditional rituals include villagers wading fully dressed in the lagoon, trying to catch fish with their bare hands and splashing each other with water. There are also wrestling matches and stick-fighting competitions.
October 5th
Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario (Festival of Our Lady of the Rosary): A traditional festival held in Agüimes, with Canarian wrestling, stick fights, plough-pulling contests, a battle with flowers, folk dancing and singing and scattering of water and gofio.
October (2nd Saturday)
Fiestas de la Naval (Festival of the Sea): Maritime processions in Las Palmas and other ports commemorate the victory of the Spanish Armada over the British explorer Sir Francis Drake in 1595.
December 13th
Día de Santa Lucia: This Swedish winter festival combines Scandinavian with Canarian traditions and is principally celebrated in the south of the island.
December 25th
Navidad: The village of Veneguera (near Mogán) provides the stage for a popular nativity play on Christmas evening.
This day is celebrated all over the island, but in Agüimes in particular, where Epiphany is marked by a street parade, during which the Three Wise Men come, bearing gifts to the children of the town.
January/February
Soccer Tournament: Mostly European clubs on winter training camps in Gran Canaria participate in this tournament, taking place in Maspalomas.
Fiesta del Almendro en Flor (Festival of the Almond in Blossom): This fiesta takes place early February when the almond trees are in bloom. Celebrated on a grand scale in the towns of Tejeda and Valsequillo, this festival also provides the opportunity to taste the local produce, such as almond wines and sweets, and to enjoy traditional folk dancing and singing.
January/February/March
Carnival around the island:In Gran Canaria, they celebrate carnival at almost every corner of the island, but the most famous and most exuberant carnival activities are those of Las Palmas, San Bartolomé, Maspalomas, Agüimes, Agaete and Telde, each of these towns’ carnival festivities having its own trademark.
Some very keen revellers start with their carnival celebrations at the end of January, with the beginning of Shrovetide, following the festivities around the island and only stop, when their physical capacities are exhausted.
There are no limits regarding the costumes, so free rein is given to imagination and any personage or thing can serve as a pretext for a blunt masquerade or prank.
The various carnival celebrations in the municipalities are more than just popular festivals, they are fantastic shows with extensive programmes of activities and festivities, generally starting with an opening speech (pregón), full of humour and irony (if you understand the language). Then, during the weeks leading to the climax celebration of the last carnival weekend – before Ash Wednesday – follow the competitions for the ‘murgas’ (typical amateur carnival bands), ‘comparsas’ (Brazilian-like amateur carnival dancers) and music groups, mixed with many other events like song contests, comedy shows, etc. etc.
In general, carnival ends with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, but further down south, like in Playa del Inglés, it continues with another weekend of processions and parties held mainly around the Yumbo.
March/April
Holy Week: During the Semana Santa – the week before Easter – you will be able to see solemn pre-Easter processions, where sacred icons and religious statues are carried through the streets of many villages and towns throughout the island.
April
Rally Islas Canarias Trofeo El Corte Inglés: This is Gran Canaria’s biggest car rally, attracting many international competitors and its stages includes Ingenio to Tejeda, Artenara to Valleseco and Telde to Ayacata.
April 29th
Fiesta de los Aborigines (Fiesta of the Aborigines): This feast day marks the final uprising of the Guanches against the Spanish and the annexation of Gran Canaria by the Crown of Castile in 1483, with big ceremonies taking place at Fortaleza Grande near Santa Lucia as well as music and dancing events.
April 27th – May 4th
Fiestas del Queso: The small town of Santa Maria de Guia celebrates the making of its famous cheese with traditional music and dancing, along with plenty of cheese-eating.
May 1st
Feria del Caballo (Horse Festival): Held in Valsequillo, this equestrian show features horses running, jumping and generally performing.
May 30th
Día de las Canarias (Canarian Day): On this day, the emphasis is on the expression of popular culture, such as Canarian wrestling, stick-fighting and folk-dancing displays.
Late May/early June
Corpus Christi: Although of a very different nature, the feast of Corpus Christi lags just behind carnival celebrations in terms of popularity. As an act of showing their religious devotion in this time, people decorate streets and squares with beautiful carpets made of flowers, grasses and coloured sand. These carpets often also mark the route for the processions. Las Palmas sees the most outstanding flower decorations and the most colourful procession, but many other towns and villages throughout the island also celebrate the Feast of the Body of Christ with parades and other traditional activities.
Mid-July
Fiesta del Carmen: All ports in Gran Canaria honour the Virgin Mary, patron saint of all fishermen, but especially so in Arguineguin, Puerto de Mogán, Puerto de la Aldea and Gáldar, where celebrations can last up to one week. Statues of the Virgin are taken out to sea in processions of decorated boats.
August 4th
Bajada de la Rama (Bringing down the Branches): This colourful fiesta, one of the oldest on the island, has its roots in the Guanches’ rain dance and is held in Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves. Villagers carry pine branches from the mountains down to the sea and thrash the waves with them in an effort to bring rain.
September
Festival del Sur: Encuentro Internacional Tres Continentes and held in Agüimes each year, this is a very attractive international theatre festival with performances from European, Latin American and African groups.
September 8th
Every year, on the 8th of September, the Fiesta de la Virgen del Pino (Feast of Our Lady of the Pines) is celebrated and numerous pilgrims from all over the island come to Teror to pay reverence to the saint. This feast is not only the biggest event in the region – it is also the most important religious festival on the island’s calendar and the celebrations usually go on for one week.
September 11th
Fiesta del Charco (Festival of the Lagoon): The origins of this fiesta, one of the oldest on Gran Canaria, hark back to an aboriginal past. It is held in Puerto de la Aldea, municipality of San Nicolás de Tolentino. Traditional rituals include villagers wading fully dressed in the lagoon, trying to catch fish with their bare hands and splashing each other with water. There are also wrestling matches and stick-fighting competitions.
October 5th
Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario (Festival of Our Lady of the Rosary): A traditional festival held in Agüimes, with Canarian wrestling, stick fights, plough-pulling contests, a battle with flowers, folk dancing and singing and scattering of water and gofio.
October (2nd Saturday)
Fiestas de la Naval (Festival of the Sea): Maritime processions in Las Palmas and other ports commemorate the victory of the Spanish Armada over the British explorer Sir Francis Drake in 1595.
December 13th
Día de Santa Lucia: This Swedish winter festival combines Scandinavian with Canarian traditions and is principally celebrated in the south of the island.
December 25th
Navidad: The village of Veneguera (near Mogán) provides the stage for a popular nativity play on Christmas evening.
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