First round of the adult murga contest, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2027verified
On 1 February 2027 at 20:30 the Recinto Ferial de Tenerife hosts the first phase of the Adult Murga Contest of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival. Murgas are large groups that sing satirical lyrics about current affairs with percussion backing. This session is one of the qualifying rounds that decide who stays in the competition.
The first phase of the adult murga contest takes place on 1 February 2027 from 20:30 at the Recinto Ferial de Tenerife, on Calle Alcalde José Emilio García Gómez in Santa Cruz. The groups perform one after another, each with its own repertoire and staging, in front of the jury and a packed hall. As this is the first phase, the contest continues in later sessions with the murgas that make the cut. It is one of the most closely followed indoor dates in the whole carnival programme.
The Canarian murga combines a chorus, lyrics full of humour and criticism about the past year, percussion that carries the rhythm, and the costume and stage set each group builds for itself. Understanding the lyrics helps a lot, because they play with local names, news and expressions, though the atmosphere in the hall works even without catching the details. The Recinto Ferial is a large covered space in the port area and the usual home of the contests. Since the session starts at night and draws a big crowd, it is worth planning your way back in advance.
The theme of the 2027 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is “Roma Eterna: El Imperio del Carnaval” (Eternal Rome: the Empire of Carnival). Forty years on, the carnival returns to Rome, the 1987 theme and the first to give the whole celebration a single look and story.
