Fiesta de la Virgen de Candelaria, patrona de Canariasverified
The Canary Islands' biggest religious festival: an overnight pilgrimage on the 14th, the Guanche reenactment that same night and, on the 15th, the solemn mass and procession.
On 15 August the Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands, is honoured in the Marian town of Candelaria. On the eve, thousands of pilgrims walk in from across the island, many through the night, in one of the archipelago's largest pilgrimages.
On the night of the 14th, after the procession leaves the Basilica, the Colectivo Guanches de Candelaria stages the finding of the Virgin in the open air at the grounds beside the town hall. On the 15th, the main day, the solemn mass is held in the Basilica and the image is then carried in procession through the streets.
Come early and expect heavy traffic and full car parks on the access roads.