Tenerife's traditional festivals explained

In Tenerife, village patron saint festivals bring together several folkloric events, all featuring tipicos costumes and traditional music. Baile de magos, paseo romero, romería — these terms appear regularly in the events calendar, but they refer to very different celebrations. Here is how to tell them apart.

The comparison table

The Romería: the grand procession

The romería is the centrepiece of Canarian patron saint celebrations. It is a procession that is both religious and festive, held in honour of a village's patron saint.

The cortège is impressive: carretas (floats decorated with fruit, flowers and local produce) are pulled by yuntas (pairs of oxen). Participants wear the traje de mago, the traditional Canarian costume. Parrandas (folk music groups) play the timple, chácaras and guitars throughout the route.

A romería lasts a full day, often five to eight hours. The procession departs from a starting point and makes its way to the village church or hermitage, where a mass concludes the event. Food and local drinks are shared along the way: papas arrugadas, cheeses, wine and gofio.

Tenerife's romerías take place mainly from June to October, with a concentration in July and August.

The Baile de Magos: the evening dance

The baile de magos is a popular Canarian evening event with no religious character. Tables are set up outdoors — in a plaza or a designated space — for families and friends to eat, drink and dance together in traditional costume.

The atmosphere is festive and collective: everyone can dance, parranda groups play isas, folías and malagueñas, and the evening often continues late into the night. Unlike the romería, there is no parade or procession — everyone stays in place.

A baile de magos is often held on Friday or Saturday evening during a patron saint weekend, ahead of Sunday's main romería.

Not to be confused with the Baile de Taifas

The baile de taifas shares the costumes and instruments of the baile de magos, but has a different spirit. More intimate, it focuses on musical quality: folk groups compete with refined timple and laúd performances, before a largely seated audience. It is closer to a traditional music concert than a dancing evening.

The Paseo Romero: the folkloric parade

The paseo romero is the accessible version of the romería: a folkloric parade on foot, without the large carretas or ox-drawn yuntas. Participants in tipico costume walk in groups along a set route, accompanied by music, in a relaxed and family-friendly atmosphere.

It lasts one to three hours, compared to a full day for a complete romería. The paseo romero is often held the day before or a few days before the main romería of the same patron saint weekend.

It is a good introduction to Canarian folklore without the scale and duration of a full romería.

What order do they follow?

During a typical Tenerife patron saint weekend, events usually unfold as follows:

• Friday or Saturday evening: baile de magos or baile de taifas
• Saturday or Sunday morning: paseo romero
• Sunday: main romería (all day)

This schedule varies by municipality and local tradition — some villages organise all three, others only one or two.

What they have in common

All four traditions share the same foundations: the traje de mago (traditional Canarian costume), the timple as the emblematic instrument, and folk dances — isa, folía, malagueña. All are free, open to everyone, and rooted in the island's rural and agricultural identity.

Wearing the costume is never compulsory for visitors, but always appreciated. Rentals are available at the casas de la cultura in the organising municipalities (€30–40).

For upcoming event dates, check the Tenerife events calendar. To go further, check our romería calendar and our article on the baile de magos.