Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of the largest and most famous carnival celebrations in the world and is often considered second only to Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival in scale and atmosphere. Held every year in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the festival transforms the city into weeks of parades, music, costumes and street celebrations attracting visitors from across Spain and around the world.
The origins of Tenerife Carnival date back several centuries and were influenced by European masquerade traditions brought to the Canary Islands during Spanish colonial times. Despite attempts to suppress the festival during the Franco dictatorship, Carnival survived in hidden forms before returning publicly on a much larger scale during the late twentieth century. Today it has become one of the defining cultural events in Tenerife and one of the island’s biggest tourist attractions.
Each year the Carnival follows a different theme which influences costumes, decorations and performances throughout the celebrations. One of the festival’s most famous traditions is the election of the Carnival Queen, where contestants wear enormous highly elaborate costumes weighing hundreds of kilograms and decorated with feathers, sequins and lights. The scale and detail of these costumes are among the most impressive elements of the festival.
The streets of Santa Cruz become filled with live music, dancing and parades lasting late into the night. Brass bands, Latin music, DJs and costumed performers create a lively atmosphere throughout the city centre while both locals and tourists join the celebrations. Unlike some formal festivals, Tenerife Carnival is highly participatory and many visitors arrive wearing costumes themselves.
One of the festival’s most unusual traditions is the “Burial of the Sardine,” a satirical parade marking the symbolic end of Carnival before the beginning of Lent. Giant sardine figures are carried through the streets before being ceremonially burned in a mixture of humour and theatrical performance.
For many visitors, Tenerife Carnival provides a completely different side of the island beyond beaches and resorts. The combination of music, costumes, local tradition and huge street celebrations makes it one of Europe’s most energetic and memorable festivals.
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