Sunday, July 06, 2008

What's on in Tenerife 7-13 July

Friday, July 11th: Appearing at the Auditorio de Tenerife and headlining in the Canarias Jazz & Mas Heineken 2008 festival, is legendary band, The Crusaders, featuring; Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Ray Parker Jr, Nick Sample, Nils Landgren and the Funk Unit. More info / tickets.

In the neighbourhood of La Cuesta, in La Laguna, on Friday, there's the Festival Alisios, a festival "SIN", which sounds a bit depraved until you discover that "sin" actually means "without" in Spanish. This is a pop festival where tobacco, alcohol and drugs are all prohibited.

Saturday, July 12th. Fans of noisy engine revving will want to watch the Arona Hill Climb in the morning, which is held on this steep and wiggly bit of road above Arona to La Escalona. Here's some video from last year's event.

American rapper, Redman, appears at the Recinto Ferial in San Isidro, Tenerife south.

For something a little more Latin, the Salsarao Summer Party at Parque La Reina Alto, Arona, with 16 hours of fun from 11 a.m. In La Laguna, there's the Festival Folclórico Regional 7 Islas (7 Islands Regional Folklore Festival), being held at 9.30 p.m. in the Recinto Festero, San Benito.

In Puerto de la Cruz, the July Fiestas kick off on Saturday with a cavalcade announcing the fiestas from 8.30 p.m. in the following streets; Calle Rosario Sotomayor, Avenida Melchor Luz, Avenida José del Campo Llarena, Calle Mequinez, Calle Pérez Zamora, Plaza del Charco, Calle La Marina to the old fishing port. At the end of the procession there will be the ubiquitous fireworks display. That's followed, at 9.30 p.m., by a Canarian Dinner and (at 10.30 p.m.) a Gran Baile de Magos (Dance), in the Plaza de Europa. Traditional costume mandatory for the latter.

Sunday, July 13th sees the Romería de San Benito Abad in La Laguna. This traditional fiesta has been declared to be of national tourist interest and is the only fiesta of its kind to receive the denomination of regional (not just local.)

The Romería de San Benito Abad is one of the oldest and most popular fiestas, dating back to 1532. Then, it was not celebrated as it is now as there were no ox carts, just the icon of the saint and the farm animals. Originally organized by the Guild of Farm Labourers, that year marked the end of a drought and was when San Benito was chosen as the patron of countrymen. [Source]

English speakers will know San Benito better as Saint Benedict, founder of monastic communities and patron of farmers and agricultural workers, as well as cavers, civil engineers, speliologists, spelunkers, inflammatory diseases and Italian architects (in no particular order), amongst other things.

On the second Sunday of July each year, this procession - in which will participate; folk musicians and dancers, many herds of goats, a long line of ox carts plying the fiesta goers with copious food and wine, as well as carts decorated as sailing boats that are unique to this fiesta - leaves from the district of San Benito in La Laguna at around 12:00 mid-day.

It passes through the streets of the old town (UNESCO World Heritage site) of the island's former capital, passing, amongst other places, the Iglesia de la Concepción (Church of the Conception), Tenerife's oldest church. Like most of these fiestas, the Romería is the high spot in a series of events that started on July 1st and runs to July 20th.

Romería de San Benito Abad | Romería de San Benito Abad 2007

Also on Sunday, July 13th, Colombian singer, Juanes appears in concert at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López (CD Tenerife football stadium) in Santa Cruz.

And at the Discoteca Faro Chill Art, C.C. Torviscas, Costa Adeje, is the Cool & Sun Sunday Party. Every Sunday of the summer with Brinsley Forde & Taknara Foundation, DJ Jacabo Padilla and Guest DJs.

In Puerto de la Cruz, the July Fiestas continue on Sunday with the Procesión del Gran Poder (Procession of the Great Power [of God]), starting and ending at Puerto's Iglesia de la Peña de Francia.