Puerto’s International Carnival
Tenerife’s world famous carnival season gets under way this month, with events all over the island.
Some of the biggest and best of the celebrations are in the island’s northern resort of Puerto de la Cruz, which traditionally acts as an appetiser for the main event in the capital, Santa Cruz, generally regarded as ranking second only to Rio de Janeiro in world carnival terms.
It may all sound a bit sedate judging it purely on the list of events, but that would be to forget the Canarian appetite for having a good time and their stamina in making the celebrations last well into the wee small hours for the duration.
Make no mistake, ‘Carnaval’ in the Canaries is a raucous and riotous fortnight of revelry to be survived by only the strongest of constitutions.
Puerto’s International Carnival, the theme for which this year is ‘Paris in the 1920s’, started with the choosing of the children’s carnival queen on Sunday (February 11) and continued with the election of the 2007 Carnival Queen on Thursday (Feb 15) in the Plaza de Europa.
The rest of the programme is as follows
Saturday Feb 17, 8pm: Parade through the town to officially announce the carnival; 10pm: First of the Grand Balls held every night in Plaza del Charco and its surrounding streets.
Sunday Feb 18, 4.30pm (all in Plaza de Europa): children’s dance groups perform; 5pm: Children’s fancy dress competition; 6.30pm: More children’s dancing; 8pm: Adult dance groups; 8pm: Adult fancy dress competition; 9.30pm: More adults dancing. 10pm: Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.
Monday Feb 19, from 6.30pm: Ritual Matar la Culebra, or killing of the snake, at various locations throughout the town centre; 8.30pm: Exhibition of carnival groups, Plaza de Europa; 10pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.
Tuesday Feb 20, 1pm: Parade of veteran cars centred around Avenida Colon; 9pm: More carnival group exhibitions at various locations around the town; 10pm: Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.
Wednesday Feb 21 9pm: Entierro de la Sardina, or funeral of the sardine, procession through the town culminating in a huge fireworks display and the cremating of the giant sardine on a funeral pyre. 10.30pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.
Thursday Feb 22 9pm: ‘Exhibition of Fanfare’, Plaza del Charco.
Friday Feb 23, 8.30pm: Enrolment and scrutineering of heels for the 13th running of the ‘Mascarita Ponte Tacon’, or Men’s Marathon in High Heels in Plaza del Charco; 10pm: Race starts (and finishes) in Plaza del Charco; 11pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.
Saturday Feb 24, from 4pm: Grand Puerto de la Cruz International Carnival Parade; 8pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.
Sunday Feb 25, 5pm: Exhibition by senior citizens carnival groups, Plaza del Charco; 6.30pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.
Check back again for more information on carnival plans in towns across the island.