Mini Carnival 2021 in Valle Gran Rey

There won't be the usual outdoor carnival celebrations in 2021 and instead there are a few 

indoor events with very limited ticket availability (see poster above). All will take place in 

the Casa de la Cultura in La Calera, Valle Gran Rey, and this year's theme is 'Mexico'.

Carnival in Playa de Santiago 2020

Playa de Santiago will hold their annual carnival from tomorrow, March 5th 2020.
The main parade will be on Friday from 6:30 pm, followed by dancing to DJs and salsa bands all night...

Carnival programme 2020 VGR

Note: The carnival parade is on Sat. 29th of Feb. from 5:30pm

Carnival 2020 in Valle Gran Rey

This year's carnival of Valle Gran Rey takes place from the 24th of February to 1st of March 2020 and the main venue and stage will be in the harbour of Vueltas. The theme is television, but anything goes really, as usual...

Carnival in Hermigua 2018

Tonight and tomorrow March 3rd 2018 it's carnival time in Hermigua 

Carnival 2018 comes to Playa de Santiago

Playa de Santiago/Alajero will hold their carnival from tomorrow. The main theme there
will be 'Asia' and the parade will start at 18:30 pm on Friday March 2nd 2018.

Carnival 2018 Vallehermoso

Poster for the 2018 carnival in Vallehermoso where the main theme will be 'horror'.

Carnival 2018 snaps and short video

Thanks to HP for the video

Carnival 2018 in Valle Gran Rey

Above the programme for the carnival week in Valle Gran Rey which starts on Monday, February 12th 2018. This year the main theme is 'cinema'' and the carnival headquarters will be on the pier in Vueltas harbour where a marquee has already been erected. The main attractions are the parade which sets off from the town hall in La Calera on Friday Feb 16th at 5:30 pm and then passes through La Playa, La Puntilla, then back up through Borbalan to the harbour where late night dancing to salsa bands will follow from 11 pm. The following day the 'sardine procession' will start from La Playa and then follow the same route as the parade and once the sardine has been 'buried', all-night dancing will follow once again to end this year's carnival.

Carnival in Agulo 2018

The picturesque town of Agulo in La Gomera's north will celebrate its carnival for three days from Sunday, February 11th 2018, which also is the main day when a street carnival starts at 12 noon with several samba drumming groups (batucadas) leading the colourful participants and shows on arrival the carnival grounds.

Carnival season begins soon

The carnival season 2018 begins soon and the first town to publish their 2018 programme is the island's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera where the theme for this year is 'Mexico' (see poster above). Highlights include the main parade on Saturday Feb. 10th from 5:30 pm and the 'Talcum Powder Day' on the 12th of February from 7 pm. Plenty other events for young and old, too, and  all-night dancing to the usual salsa bands on several nights during the carnival period, which in the capital runs from Feb. 2nd to the 18th.

Carnival now moves to Playa de Santiago

Playa de Santiago (Alajero) carnival poster The theme tis year is 'music'

Next carnival starts in Vallehermoso today

Vallehermoso's carnival poster. Festivities begin today and go on until the 21st 

The Pope Said Goodbye To The Sardine

Each community in the Canary Islands ends the carnival festivities with the 'funeral of the sardine' when a large papier-mache sardine full of pyrotechnics  is burnt and pushed into the sea, accompanied by the wailing of 'grieving ladies', i.e. men dressed in women's clothes who 'cry their eyes out' as the sardine dies and carnival ends. This year Valle Gran Rey had an Egyptian sardine and even 'The Pope' attended its funeral last night.

Hot samba rhythms are always part of the carnival in the Canary Islands and each town has their own samba school. The one above came from La Palma island to attend the funeral and they were amazing.

Carnival 2016 Valle Gran Rey slideshow

See Carnival 2016 slideshow of yesterday's parade below:

Carnival in Valle Gran Rey begins today

Carnival 2016 begins in Valle Gran Rey today and continues until Saturday night. The main stage is in the harbour of Vueltas this year and the theme is 'Egypt'. The parade starts from the town hall in La Calera on Friday at 5pm (see programme above).

La Gomera carnival season 2016 begins

Carnival time in the Canary Islands has begun and this is a huge event that doesn't exactly keep to the traditional carnival timetable. It may go on well after Ash Wednesday, even getting close to Easter some years, as each community stages their own and wants participants from neighbouring towns. The main events are in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria and in Santa Cruz on Tenerife, the latter being the second-largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro (see their 2016 programme)

The 2016 carnival season in La Gomera begins today in San Sebastian de La Gomera. Below is the programme of events in the island's capital and I will post information on the carnival in the remaining towns on La Gomera when available:

Carnival on La Gomera 2014

Above: A 'murga' from Tenerife visiting a pre-carnival event in Playa de Santiago on Saturday

It is carnival time on La Gomera and the three main towns are celebrating their events as follows:
---In the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera carnival has begun already and the main event, the parade is on Sat. March 1st. Festivities close with the 'funeral of the sardine' on Sat. March 8th this year. The main theme is 'Myths and Legends':

---The carnival of Playa de Santiago begins on March 1st and closes with the 'sardine funeral' on Sun. March 8th this year. The theme this year is ' Feasts of the Empires':

---The Valle Gran Rey carnival will have the festival stage in the harbour of Vueltas this year and takes place from the 5th of March, with the parade on Friday Mar. 7th and closing with the 'sardine' the following day. Theme: 'Horror'

Poster for VGR's 'fancy dress run' on March 5th.