The fiesta programme of events began on April 26 and some, notably the sports tournaments, continue until the end of May.

But the one event that draws extraordinary crowds to the town is the Exhibicíon Pirotécnica, this year on Thursday, May 3.

Two rival manufacturers supply the fireworks for the late-night display, which is generally regarded as being the best anywhere in the Canaries, if not the whole of Spain.

And this is on an island where they need little or no excuse for staging spectacular fireworks displays.

Thursday’s pyrotechnic show will come at the height of the Festival of the Cross, around which the whole of Los Realejos’s month-long celebrations are centred.

The month-long event celebrates the culture and important traditions of the Canary Islands, with the focus on music, costumes and crafts.

But in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island they’re planning two fiestas in one day on Thursday May 3.

First up are celebrations to honour the founding of the town way back in 1651, involving elaborate and colourful processions through the streets.

Before that Puerto was part of the neighbouring town of La Orotava and and indeed was known as Puerto de La Orotava.

Puerto had grown in importance because the merchants and traders of prosperous La Orotava needed an outlet for their goods to be shipped off to the Spanish mainland.

The Spanish settlers weren’t the first to appreciate the potential afforded by this sheltered little bay. There is evidence that the native Guanche people, who inhabited the island before the Hispanic conquest, had chosen this same site for a cave settlement on the cliffs of what is now the up-market La Paz area of the town.

The second of the celebrations is the Fiesta de la Cruz, or Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Fixed crosses are set out in various parts of the town garlanded with floral decorations that have evolved over long periods of time.

Crosses are a distinct feature of the town and can be found everywhere, on the external walls of buildings, in chapels and ermitas, which Puerto has in abundance, and on public buildings.

Each cross has its own style of decoration, some highly colourful, others entirely in shades of the same colour. A variety of materials are used in the decorations, too, such as timber reclaimed from shipwrecks.

One particular cross, in Calle Mequinez, is decorated with fish bones and scales.

A full range of events is planned for the week-long festival, starting on Sunday April 29 and continuing through to Sunday May 6.

They take place across the city, but mainly in Plaza del Príncipe, Parque García Sanabria and Calle La Noria.

The colourful series of events include an International Marionette Festival, several other puppet shows, an exhibition of flowers, a concert of Canarian music, and a flower crosses workshop and competition.

The whole city will be decked out with traditional floral crosses and the highlight of the programme will be on the evening of May 2, a Great Canarian Fiesta with traditional Canarian dress a prominent feature.

In 1999, the party, known as the Dance of Magicians, went into the Guinness Book of Records when 8,000 people ate, drank and danced in the streets in traditional costume.

The fiesta week is centred around May 3, the date on which the city was founded way back in 1494.

The tapas competition is another popular feature and is now in its sixth year. Restaurants and bars specialising in tapas will compete in three classes – traditional, creative and Canarian.

Participating establishments will not be revealed until nearer the date, though generally they are concentrated around Calle La Noria and surrounding streets, which make up the old part of the city.

The winners will become part of a ‘Ruta de la Tapa’ (Tapas Route) through the city, a great way of exploring the ancient capital while at the same time tasting some of its best gastronomic offerings.

May is a great month of celebration in Santa Cruz and the rest of the island, reflecting the traditional culture, history and religion of the island, and is marked by processions, pilgrimages and sporting contests.