The complete guide to planning your trip to the Santa Cruz de Tenerife carnival, from January 22 to March 17, 2027.
The complete guide to planning your trip to the Santa Cruz de Tenerife carnival, from January 22 to March 17, 2027.
The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is the world's second-biggest carnival after Rio de Janeiro. In 2027, the season opens on January 22 with the official opening night and runs until mid-March with the Sardine Burial. Unlike most major carnivals, most events are completely free, and Tenerife's sunshine guarantees around 20°C in the middle of February.
This guide covers everything you need to plan your trip: event-by-event programme, accommodation and transport tips, budget, and advice tailored to your traveller profile.
⚠️ Dates are estimated based on the liturgical calendar (Mardi Gras = Feb 16, 2027). Official dates are published on carnaval.santacruzdetenerife.es in autumn 2026.
The election of the Carnival Queen is the most visually spectacular event. Each candidate parades in a monumental costume, sometimes over 5 metres tall and weighing up to 100kg, designed by local craftspeople over several months. The evening lasts 4 to 5 hours and is broadcast live on Televisión Canaria.
Now an international signature of the carnival, the Drag Queen Gala blends performance art, humour, wild costumes and social commentary. Broadcast live on TV, it fascinates locals and international visitors alike. If you can only attend one indoor evening, make it this one.
The Rua is the high point of the carnival. This huge Mardi Gras street parade brings together hundreds of thousands of participants, visitors and locals mixed together, comparsas, brass bands, floats. Unlike the galas, here the crowd IS the show. Put on a costume (even a modest one) and join the procession: you become part of the celebration.
A week after Ash Wednesday, Santa Cruz holds its own spring carnival. A mock funeral procession carries a giant papier-mâché fish, mourned by "grieving widows" (often men dressed in black). It ends with fireworks over the harbour. Free, and often more relaxed than the main week's evenings.
The weather advantage is decisive: 20°C and sunny in Tenerife in February, versus cold and rain at the European carnivals.
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