In this article we invite you to discover the traditions and popular festivals of Gran Canaria. We will review the most important parties and events that take place each year on the island. Here we go!
Popular festivals in Gran Canaria (and other events)
First of all, you should know that the Canary Islands day is celebrated every May 30 and, therefore, this day is a bank holiday throughout the archipelago. On the other hand, there are several popular festivals and events that attract local, national and international visitors every year. Next we are going to mention them to you in case your visit to Gran Canaria coincides with any of these and you would like to mix with us (the locals).
1. Fiesta de La Rama (La Rama fest) – 4th August 2023, Agaete
La Rama is one of the most important popular festivals in the Canary Islands. Every 4th of August this traditional Gran Canarian festival attracts thousands of people to the village of Agaete and its Puerto de Las Nieves. This popular celebration has taken place for hundreds of years and was organised to “invoke” the scarce rains. It consisted mainly of walking up to Tamadaba to pick up branches and once in the Puerto de Las Nieves, whipping the branches into the sea. This is how the rains were called for. This is the origin of the names of the festivities “TraÃda de La Rama” and “Bajada de La Rama”, as the aborigines climbed the mountain through the Agaete Valley in search of the branches.
To this day this festival is still celebrated with different food and drink stalls and music throughout the town. People dance to the sound of the Banda de Agaete, drink, eat and bathe in the sea. You should know that today many locals follow the tradition of walking up to pick up the branches in Tamadaba Natural Park.
2. La TraÃda del Agua or Water Fest – Sunday 13th August 2023, Telde
In Telde the popular festival known as the TraÃda del Agua takes place. Like La Rama, the celebration was also related to “invoking the rain.” Today this popular festival has become more of a water festival. Here attendees get wet with buckets, squirt guns and other ingenious dipping items. During the party, the attendees take a walking tour or a kind of parade to the irrigation canal and the Basilica of the Virgin while they get wet and dance to the sound of the town band. The water festival is normally held on the weekend following the day of Las Nieves and always on a Sunday. That is, the first or second Sunday in August.
3. La “Vará del Pescao” – Friday 25th August 2023, Arinaga
This festival is held on the last Friday in August next to Arinaga beach, in the municipality of Agüimes. The “Vará del pescao” is a seafaring procession and is held in honour of the fishermen of the area. Apparently, every time the sailors arrived from fishing at the Avenida de Los Pescadores, they used to call the neighbours by means of conch shells to come and see the fresh product so that they could buy it.
The procession is marked by a boat in which sardines are roasted to be shared with everyone who accompanies them dancing. The route departs from Risco Verde and runs along the entire avenue of Arinaga. Small groups of friends and families form on the beach where they dance and share food and drink. We recommend that you attend the party in traditional seafaring costume.
4. El Pino festivity – 7th & 8th September 2023, Teror
Another well-known popular festival in the Islands is the one the patron saint of the island of Gran Canaria in Teror. This is the Virgin Pino and her day is September 8. The festival is traditionally religious and consists of walking to the Basilica of Teror from different municipalities on the island to visit the Virgin. That is, the pilgrims arrive in Teror walking as a promise to the Virgen del Pino. Normally, the locals usually go up to Teror the day before the 8th. That is, on the 7th of September. Although the pino’s day is the 8.
To this day, this tradition is still preserved and many walk up even barefoot. Others go in groups of friends of all ages. As in all parties, alcohol is present and many even drink all the way. Upon reaching the town there are several stalls with traditional food. The protagonist is the Teror chorizo sandwich that many take as a reward upon arrival. During these festivities in the town there are also different music stalls and concerts. The most popular towns to walk to Teror are San Lorenzo and Tamaraceite along the edge of the road. The duration of the journey is approximately 3 hours.
5. El Charco fest – 11th Septembre 2023, La Aldea de San Nicolás
The El Charco festival (the pond) is another of the most relevant popular festivals in Gran Canaria. And it is that this celebration also has an important tradition. Formerly the aborigines of La Aldea and other surrounding areas of Gran Canaria concentrated around El Charco applying a special fishing technique known as embarbascada. This technique consisted of poisoning the water with the sap of Canarian plants such as tabaiba or cardón to sedate the fish and be able to catch them in an easier way.
Today, every September 11 at 5:00 p.m. the mayor of La Aldea launches a fire work to indicate that it is now possible to run towards the pond to fish. That is, all those who are surrounding the pond run to the water to fish with the help of baskets and other utensils. Eventually, they all end up dancing and wetting each other. These days La Aldea is filled with corners with music and food and drink stalls to have a good time.
6. El Perro Maldito – 28th September 2023, Valsequillo
Every September 28 at night the festivities of the Perro Maldito (Cursed Dog) are celebrated in the town of Valsequillo. This celebration consists of a series of theatrical performances simulating hell with the devil as the protagonist. The interpretations are usually carried out by the young people of the town and their mission is to scare those who come tonight to this meeting. Usually there are parades, hanging dancers, etc. A real show. Years ago there were even spit-fires, until unfortunately during an edition a serious accident took place. Today the party follows all the protocols and is a lot of fun. In addition, there are several music stands, bars and a night party.
At 12 pm begins the fireworks show of the famous Valsequillo pyrotechnics company “San Miguel”. By the way, on the Thursday of the week before the Cursed Dog, young people organize the famous Miguelito Pub in the town square. To enter you have to carry assorted coins. That is, if the ticket is € 2, to be able to access they will ask you for coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents until they reach € 2. However, it should be in the way that they establish. Recently, they have also incorporated the Pub Miguelón, for people over 30 years old. It is held on the Friday before San Miguel. So, this 2023 would be 21/09 Miguelito and 22/09 Miguelón.
7. Bajada del Gofio – 23rd of September 2023, Agüimes
In the last week of September, the traditional festival known as the ‘TraÃda del gofio y agua’ takes place in Agüimes. This festivity recalls an ancient ritual from post-war times, when the locals used to walk to the outskirts of the village to toast and grind the corn to make gofio. Once they had done so, they would return to the village carrying the sacks of gofio and collecting water from the springs and ditches on their way.
This tradition is still alive today. The procession is carried out to the rhythm of a lively brass band that leads to the square of Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Once in the village, there is a water show, with buckets of water thrown from the heights of rooftops and balconies, creating a fun combination of water and gofio. The celebration continues with a vibrant dance in the square.
8. Almond blossom Gran Canaria
The almond blossom festival is also very popular among the people of Gran Canaria. These are held in the municipalities of Tejeda, Valsequillo and Tunte. The main attraction of these festivals is to appreciate the beauty of the flowering of the almond trees during the months of February and March. The celebration dates vary and each weekend they take place in a different town. During these festivals there are usually stalls with Canarian products (food and crafts), folklore groups and activities of different kinds highlighting the customs and traditions of the Canary Islands.
There are other popular festivals in Gran Canaria such as the festival of the apple in Valleseco or the festivities of the virgin of La Cuevita in Artenara. There are also numerous pilgrimages in Gran Canaria throughout the year, you can consult the calendar of the most important ones in our blog.
Events in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
On the other hand, you should know that in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria three major events are held throughout the year. These are the founding festivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the WOMAD and the Carnival.
✔ Las Palmas de Gran Canaria founding festivals
The founding festivals of the capital take place every June with a clear protagonist: the night of San Juan. Every June 23 at night hundreds of people congregate in Las Canteras beach to celebrate this party. Locals usually meet by the sea on the eve of San Juan setting up a small picnic to celebrate this day. The tradition is to end the day with a night swim in the sea and at 12 pm the fireworks begin.
✔ WOMAD
WOMAD is a music, art and dance festival that brings together different artists from the international scene in Las Palmas every year. This festival is usually celebrated in Parque Santa Catalina for more than 25 years, with what we can already consider as part of our festivities.
✔ Gran Canaria Carnival: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria & Maspalomas
At the same time, the carnivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are held every year in February (the dates change). The carnivals have several relevant days of celebration with a clear protagonist among the locals: the Drag Queen Gala. Likewise, we highlight the day of the Great Parade, the Carnival by day and, finally, Los Indianos. The night of Los Indianos you should go dressed in white and get some good glasses, a mask and talcum powder. It’s a talcum powder war to the beat of music! The rest of the Carnival nights, people dress up and party or just have a drink.
On the other hand, a few weeks after the Las Palmas carnivals, the Maspalomas Carnival is celebrated. Here we also highlight the Drag Gala, on Carnival Thursday and the afternoon of the Great Parade that runs through the entire tourist area of Playa del Inglés. Here locals from all the municipalities of the island congregate in floats organized by companies and groups of friends. If you want to join the party, put on your best costume and hit the streets to dance with the float that you like the most.
Other festivals and events in Gran Canaria
✔ Gay Pride Maspalomas – May
Finally, we do not want to fail to mention another relevant party that takes place in Gran Canaria and that is becoming more and more relevant in the world: it is Gay Pride Maspalomas. Gay Pride is celebrated in the south of the island every May. If you didn’t know, Gran Canaria has an important link with the LGTBI community and, in fact, receives thousands of tourists from this segment throughout the year. Many of them visit the island to coincide with this event to celebrate Gay Pride. Both members of the LGTBI community and non-members come to this party, as the fun is guaranteed.
We hope this information has been useful to you. What local festivity do you prefer? Have you ever visited anyone of them?
Guides to Gran Canaria
Finally, if it’s your first time on the island, we’ve got the perfect travel guides to help you discover the authentic side of Gran Canaria. Plus, you’ll save a lot of time planning where to see and where to eat. You can see them all below.
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