Carnival in Tenerife, Spain
The Spanish Island's Carnaval is the Most Outrageous in Europe
Aug 1, 2009
There are colourful fiestas held throughout the year on the Spanish island of Tenerife, but the most flamboyantly spectacular of them all has to be 'Carnaval' (the Spanish spelling), a week long rollercoaster of parades, glitz, glamour, outrageous costumes and hedonistic street parties which last till dawn.
Carnival's roots lie in the practice of giving up meat for Lent, but the truth is, on an island where fiestas are the raison d'être, it's the perfect excuse for an over the top party which leaves a Baz Luhrmann production looking tame by comparison. If the streets of Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz, the two main Carnival locations, are quiet and subdued for forty days following Carnival, it's not for religious reasons, it's because everyone has partied themselves to exhaustion.
There are two ways to enjoy Carnival; as a spectator, or as a participant. One will guarantee a fantastic experience, the other an unforgettable one.
Carnival Queen
Although Carnival begins with the Cabalgata (opening parade), the election of the Carnival Queen a couple of days beforehand is worth seeing for its display of incredibly imaginative and elaborate outfits, the size of which could house a large family. Canarian girls clearly aren't shy as most of the material for the costume goes on the framework, leaving barely enough to cover each girl's modesty.
Cabalgata - Opening Parade
The Cabalgata takes place at night and announces the start of the partying. Dance troupe after dance troupe in fancy dress perform Las Vegas style routines through the streets followed by bands, the Carnival Queen and her dames and all sorts of weird and wonderfully dressed creatures.
To get a decent view, it's essential to find a prime position about an hour before the parade starts; even then it's not guaranteed. Canarians have a unique talent of appearing just as the fun begins and gently squeezing into the best spots.
Gran Coso Apoteosis - Closing Parade
Everyone who has been remotely involved with Carnival takes part in this one. A visual extravaganza of colour, noise and razzmatazz which lasts for hours. Similar to the opening parade, but everyone is in full Carnival spirit by now, or has drank lots of spirits, so it's more fun packed with heavy doses of risqué behaviour thrown in for good measure.
Once again it's another stamina testing event which requires a lot of standing about, but it's worth it.
Burial of the Sardine - Ash Wednesday
The most surreal aspect of Carnival and that's saying something. The Burial of the Sardine is an irreverent, affectionate swipe at the Catholic Church. It involves the ritual parading of a giant papier mache sardine, usually in glamorous make-up, through the streets followed by a cortege of extremely distraught wailing widows (local men in drag), sexy nuns and mock priests. The sardine is eventually set on fire accompanied by a firework display. This is supposed to mark the end of the revelry and in Santa Cruz it brings the official celebrations to a closure, sort of. In Puerto de la Cruz the partying continues until the following weekend.
Mascarita Ponte Tacón - High Heels Drag Marathon
A newcomer to the Carnival scene and one which takes place only in Puerto de la Cruz, but which has rapidly established itself as one of the most popular events. It's supposed to be a race on high heels through Puerto's cobbled streets, but in truth this is just an excuse to dress up in the most outrageous drag outfits imaginable and play to the audience who lap it up, especially the old Canarian women. It's a very funny event, however anyone of a sensitive nature who is easily offended should steer clear.
Participant's Top Tips
The heart and soul of Carnival lies in the nightly street parties when thousands of revellers, nearly all of whom are in fancy dress, salsa their way through the streets to the rhythm of live bands and DJs blasting out their sounds. This is the part of Carnival which earned Santa Cruz a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest Carnival Ball with 240,000 attendees.
There's only one way to really experience Carnival and that's to join in, the good news is that all that's required is to wear fancy dress to make the jump from spectator to participant - it makes the world of difference. There are plenty of stalls selling fancy dress accessories, so forward planning isn't entirely necessary.
The party doesn't get going till around midnight and reaches its crazy heights at around four in the morning. Despite being attended by thousands upon thousands of people, the street parties are incredibly happy and carefree events where the only objective is to have fun.
Tenerife Carnival dates 2010
In 2010 Carnival in Santa Cruz runs from 12th February until 17th February. In Puerto de la Cruz it runs from 13th February until 20th February.
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