Tenerife Carnaval Dates 2008 - 2050

You might think it's a bit early to be preparing even for next year's Carnaval, but we really do have a l list of Tenerife Carnaval dates right through to the middle of the century for you - to the year 2050. Tenerife has a poor reputation where events are seldom publicised sufficiently in advance - hopeless when you need to book flights, hotels or holidays, months ahead - so this guide hopes to partially overcome that problem and should provide just enough notice to satisfy even the most fervently obsessive of forward planners.

(We left last year's and this years on to show you that the theory works.)

The key date for Carnaval Events in Tenerife is Shrove Tuesday, which is when the Gran Coso Apoteosis - Carnaval's Main Parade - takes place in the capital, Santa Cruz. This is the same day as Mardi Gras in New Orleans, so we've borrowed their dates and added them to the Carnival Calendar at PuntoInfo.

Many of the other events follow a regular pattern backward or forward from that date. At least they do, mostly, in Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz. We had hoped to include the Los Cristianos Carnaval dates in this table too, but we discovered that arrangements there are more of a moving target than a moveable feast, so it isn't possible to predict their timetable with the same certainty.

Any Year Tenerife Carnaval Schedule

• The Wednesday BEFORE Shrove Tuesday: Gala for the Election of the Carnaval Queen. This event is a huge evening gala, usually lasting for hours and is probably best seen on TV - if the costumes will fit into your screen!
• The Friday BEFORE Shrove Tuesday: Once it has it's Queen, Santa Cruz Carnaval takes to the streets on the Friday evening, with the Cabalgata Anunciadora (Announcing Parade), followed by the obligatory fireworks.
• Shrove Tuesday: (Carnaval Tuesday): The Coso Apoteosis (Main Parade) along the front at Santa Cruz (the Avenida de Anaga and Marítima), from around 4 p.m. Terminates in a great firework display at around 9.p.m.
• Ash Wednesday: Burial of the Sardine. This takes place in both Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz on the same night, so you have a choice. Either way, it's essential for men to dress up as "Widows" to mourn the poor old defunct sardine and generally have a blasphemous night of it.
• The Saturday AFTER Shrove Tuesday: For those who prefer a more pedestrian view of Carnaval: parades without quite so much revelry, I recommend the Coso Infantil (Junior Parade) in Santa Cruz. The Saturday is also the day of the Main Carnaval Parade in Puerto de la Cruz.
• The Sunday AFTER Shrove Tuesday: Sunday morning the Gran Concurso en la Ciudad de Automóviles Antiguos, which is when some really beautiful classic cars parade around the city.

Those are the main "spectator sport" events that I believe you could be interested in seeing as a casual visitor. In the run up to the Carnaval, there are many other contests and events involving all the various singing and dancing troupes that form part of the Carnaval and, of course, alongside all of this is the fun fair, the food stalls, orchestras, dancing and concerts that go on in the streets until dawn ... and, just when you think it's all over, it all moves on to Los Cristianos, Los Gigantes and many other towns a week or two later.

Getting to Carnaval in Santa Cruz

If you're staying in the south of Tenerife, there's no problem as extra buses are laid on each year, even during the night, which will take Carnaval goers between Playa de las Americas / Los Cristianos and Santa Cruz. Don't take a car, because there will be nowhere to park it. Catch the 111 bus from Las Americas bus station or Los Cristianos and enjoy the journey that's an extension of the party!

Where to stay in Tenerife for Carnaval

Anywhere you might usually stay, such as the resorts on the south of the island.

However, if you're coming to Tenerife for the express reason of going to Carnaval, then you may as well stay right in the thick of things, so you can sleep by day, just falling out of your hotel into the street in the afternoon or evening when there are parades or events you want to go to.

In Santa Cruz, we can recommend, because we've stayed there, the Hotel Pelinor. It may only have 2 stars (don't expect a high level of English), but it's clean and has everything you need for the purpose. If you must go the the beach, Las Teresitas is just up the road.

There are other hotels in Santa Cruz listed here.

What to wear to Carnaval?

You can wear anything you like and nothing is too risque, although people not in costume / fancy dress are the odd ones out. Each year, each carnaval has a theme, but it is not necessary to follow that unless you wish to do so. If you're a man, it's almost obligatory to dress up as a woman - however unconvincingly: excess hair need not be removed - and cross-dressing is essential when attending The Burial of the Sardine.

DISCLAIMER: Of course, all of these details are subject to changes that are way beyond our control. Hopefully, Carnaval will continue in more or less the same manner for the foreseeable future, especially when you consider that it has already overcome prohibitions during dictatorships and survived for more than 200 years and possibly as many as 400, but nothing is guaranteed.

We've taken great care to check dates and take leap years into account when working out the dates of the various parades, but we accept no responsibility for errors (probably due to going cross-eyed.) Use this as a guide and double-check nearer to your dates of travel for best results. Batteries not included.

Labels: Carnaval 2008, Carnaval 2009

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