Photo by Mariusz Kucharczyk. The Carnival of Tenerife is one of the most famous in the world, together with Rio de Janeiro and Venice. It is made up of a series of mostly unconnected celebrations involving various towns on the island, but without a doubt, the main one known for its celebrations is Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
SEE ALSO: Tenerife, Canary Islands: where is it, when to go and what to see
When does the festival start and how long does it last?
Photo by Mariusz Kucharczyk. Carnival on the island is celebrated for at least two weeks usually in February, although the dates can change from one city to another. Parades and concerts are organised all over the island. Each city draws up its own programme of events and chooses a theme for the festivities, but the top city is definitely Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
As mentioned, some cities offer a different calendar of celebrations, for example Los Gigantes, where the starting date of Carnival coincides with the second Friday after the big parade in Santa Cruz (the latter is held on Shrove Tuesday).
Santa Cruz Carnival: dates and programme 2023
Carnival festivities begin on Friday 20 January and end on Sunday 26 February, and the theme chosen is 'New York, the city that never sleeps'.
For over a month, there are parades, performances by murgas (masked bands that mix theatre and music), concerts, dances and much more.
Particularly popular and appreciated are the various contests involving adults and children, such as the one for the election of the best costume(Concurso Disfraces), but especially those for the election of the 'Carnival Queen', the 'little girl queen'(Reina Infantil) and the 'queen of the elderly'(Eleccion de la Reina y Festival de Agrupaciones de los Mayores).
Among the most unmissable events are the processions and parades. Such as the Cabalgata Anunciadora, which sees the Reina parade accompanied by her ladies of honour and Carnival groups. Another important procession is the Coso, or Mardi Gras parade.
There are also musical performances by the opera group Los Fregolinos and the Afilarmónica Nifu - Nifa orchestra, the latter of which will close the festivities with a grand final concert culminating in a fireworks display.
Below is the programme:
20 January: Inauguracion del Carnaval 2023
26 January: Murgas Infantiles 1st phase
27 January: Murgas Infantiles 2nd phase
28 January: Murgas Infantiles 3rd phase
29 January: Choreographic Festival
30 January: Murgas Adultas 1st phase
31 January: Murgas Adultas 2nd phase
1 February: Murgas Adultas 3rd phase
3 February: Final de Murgas
4 February: Agrupaciones Musicales
5 February: Reina Infantil
8 February: Eleccion de la Reina y Festival de Agrupaciones de los Mayores
10 February: La Cancion de la Risa
11 February: Comparsas
12 February: Concurso Disfraces y Concurso Rondallas
14 February: Concierto de Los Fregolinos (Opera music group)
15 February: Gala de Eleccion de la Reina
16 February: Festival de la Zarzuela
17 February: Cabalgata Anunciadora
18 February: Ritmo y Armonia
19 February: Nifu-Nifa Fregulinos Carnaval de dia
21 February (Shrove Tuesday): Nifu-Nifa Fregulinos Coso
22 February (Ash Wednesday): Entierro de la Sardina
23 February: Festival Rondallas
24 February: Coso Infantil Festival Galardonados
25 February: Carnaval de dia
26 February: Nifu-Nifa La Zarzuela Fin de Fiestas Exhibicion Pirotecnica
Curiosities and Traditions
Parade ofPopular Floats: The inhabitants work for several months to build complex structures to be displayed and hilarious theatrical performances. During the parade, groups of folk musicians perform and murgas, or typical masked theatrical performances, take place. The two main parades are the 'Cabalgata Anunciadora' (the parade of the Carnival Queen) and the Coso (the Mardi Gras parade).
The Murgas: these are bands that mix music and theatre, usually consisting of around 40 elements that sing satirical songs with the help of 'whistles' and percussion instruments. Today, competitions are held between bands for adults (Murgas Adultas) and children (Murgas Infantiles).
Election of the Carnival Queen: This is a beauty contest among girls, during which the'Queen of Carnival', i.e. the patroness of the event, is elected. In recent years, the Reina Infantil (the little girl queen) and the Reina de los Mayores (the queen of the 'elders') have also been elected.
Entierro de la Sardina: The'Burial of the Sardine' takes place on Ash Wednesday. It is a parade that ends with the sacrifice of large papier-mâché sardines, which are burnt in a crowd of people dressed in mourning, men disguised as pregnant women and weeping widows.
Las Burras: A special version of the sardine burial is organised in the area of Güímar. Here during the procession one witnesses the attack of witches 'transformed' into donkeys(burras) that frighten the villagers before being burnt.
Matar la culebra:'To kill the viper' is a ritual of Afro-Cuban origin during which men dressed as black slaves kill a viper, symbol of evil, with a whip.
Join the Carnival of Tenerife: Flight + hotel packages
Cheap flights: from €127,00 - see offers
Where to stay: 8 nights in Santa Cruz de Tenerife from €590.00 per couple - see offers
Flight + hotel: 7 nights/8 days from €469.00 per person - look at the offers
