Wild street party at Tenerife Carnival

21 February – 1 March 2020

tenerife_carnival780

Slip into some fishnets, put on your highest heels, and get ready for some hedonistic street celebrations in the Canary Islands.

And if you’re a man, borrow a party frock, stuff a couple of balloons down the front, and no-one will turn a hair.

When Tenerife Carnival starts, it’s time to shed your inhibitions and join in with the revelry!

If a trip to Rio is beyond your budget, the Tenerife Carnival is the most Brazilian of all the Spanish carnivals, an extravaganza of colour, light, music and mayhem.

So how did this all start?

Tenerife Carnival arrived along with the conquistadors at the end of the 15th century.

Like carnivals everywhere, it was a chance for a last big bash before Lent.

The Catholic Church tried to ban it, then Franco’s regime sent it underground.

Masks and cross-dressing were crucial for identity concealment – now they’re simply a part of the electrifying atmosphere.

Street parties start up in Santa Cruz

Tenerife gets into the Latin spirit in the weeks before Lent begins, so the start date varies each year.

Main celebrations are in the capital city, Santa Cruz – and most events are free.

So once you’ve sorted out a flight and a place to stay, you’re all set for a week or two of fun and flamboyance.

Carnival Tenerife-style can be both exhausting and exhilarating.

The best street parties take place over the opening and closing weekends, but check the dates for the main events in each part of the island.

Santa Cruz is a popular base, so the crowds can be overwhelming.

Boogie to the beat in Santa Cruz

The first major event of the Carnival is the opening parade – this year’s theme in Santa Cruz is cartoon characters.

What follows is a full week of masked balls, daytime parades full of scantily-clad dancers in flamboyant outfits, and long nights of dancing in the streets to the pulsing beat of Latino-style bands, old-school disco classics and Spanish pop.

Hundreds of thousands of people take part, and it’s very much a pick-and-mix party.

Don’t think you must see everything, or you’ll end up worn out on the first day.

The elected Carnival Queens and their entourages ride elaborately-decorated parade floats, in overwhelmingly huge costumes.

So enormous that they have to be mounted on wheels so that their wearers can move.

Down a Dorada – or two

No real need to pack a picnic for the parades – roadside stalls provide an endless flow of beer for the thirsty, while tempting food stands fill the air with the aromas of street food specialities.

Every Canarian carnival celebration tempts visitors with typical dishes to try.

On Tenerife, snack on tortillas de carnaval, small round pancakes served warm and drizzled with honey.

tenerife_carnival380

Santa Cruz mourns the sardine

The most surreal of the carnival events in Santa Cruz has to be the Burial of the Sardine.

On Ash Wednesday, a giant papier-mâché sardine, fluttering long eyelashes and painted with bright red lipstick is carried through the streets.

The Sardine is followed by a funeral cortège of men in drag.

It’s not often that you get to see a huge transvestite fish at the centre of an ostentatious funeral, so make the most of it.

The mourners do – they’re decked out in a parody of widows’ weeds, wailing and sometimes collapsing with grief (or perhaps one too many beers).

It’s a little like the Rocky Horror Show crossed with a gypsy wedding, and the night ends with a flashy firework display, as the Big Sardine meets a fiery end.

Basic Information

Where: Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain

When: 21 February – 1 March 2020

In Puerto de la Cruz

20 – 29 February 2020, with the main events expected to be:

Thursday, February 20, 2020 – Election of the Carnival Queen
Saturday, February 22, 2020 – Proclamatory Parade
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 – Burial of the Sardine
Friday, February 28, 2020 – Men´s Marathon in High Heels
Saturday, February 29, 2020 – Main Parade

Official Website: carnavaldetenerife.com

Map: Santa Cruz on Google map

Hotels: Hotels in Santa Cruz

Destination

Check-in date

Check-out date

I don't have specific dates yet

high_heal_marathon

Party in Puerto de la Cruz

The northern coastal town of Puerto de la Cruz runs a close second to the capital in the size of its celebrations.

It also has its idiosyncratic attractions, not least the Mascarita Ponte Tacón, the High Heels Marathon.

A male drag-race with contestants picking their way through obstacles, wearing outrageous high-heeled shoes.

Nothing lower than ankle-busting is allowed.

It’s uproarious, not at all “political correct”, and fast becoming the most popular event of the Carnaval calendar.

But it’s not for the easily-offended. Don’t take your prim great-aunt.

There are smaller celebrations in most towns and villages across Tenerife.

If you have the time, settle in for a couple of weeks, hire a car, and combine Carnaval with a few day trips around the island.

Get your glad rags on

Tenerife has an all-year-round holiday climate, so you won’t need lots of layers during the daytime on the Island of Eternal Spring.

But February nights can be a bit chilly, and long hours watching the parades mean that sensible shoes are advisable – unless you’re entering the High Heels Marathon.

But you will need fancy dress to make the most of Carnaval – and anything goes.

Regulars bring a different outfit for every night.

All the large supermarkets stock Carnaval costumes, and even specialist shops selling outfits and kitsch accessories.

Stalls on the main plazas can provide anything from face paint to unconvincing fake breasts.

The only way to tackle Carnaval’s craziness and full-on sensory attack is to slip into those stockings, throw away your hang-ups, and come well-prepared to stay up all night long.