Carnival of Maspalomas: a sardine on the beach, a gala for tourists and the season's last parade
Friday noon, Playa de Maspalomas. A dying sardine is carried along the beach, and tourists join the procession by the thousand, dressed as doctors and nurses. This is the Rescate de la Sardina, the "rescue" of the sardine, and it shows clearly what makes this carnival different: here, visitors aren't just spectators, they're part of the procession.
Maspalomas closes the Canary carnival season: it's held when carnival in the capitals is already over.
When it usually happens
Maspalomas holds its carnival in March, well after Ash Wednesday, when the Las Palmas carnival has already ended or is just ending. It lasts about two weeks and closes on a Sunday, with the burial of the sardine (Entierro de la Sardina). The town's own history puts it between late February and mid March, but recent editions have run until the end of March:
In 2025 the candidates were presented on 19 March, and the carnival closed on Sunday 30 March. It was the 51st edition in its history.
In 2026 it was planned for 10 to 22 March, but the end slipped by a week (see below).
The exact programme is published by the town, together with the route maps and the decrees on road closures (bandos), on the carnival's official website. As soon as it's out, we add it to our agenda.
If the programme slips: the lesson of 2026
Carnival happens outdoors, and the announced day can move. In 2026 the Gran Cabalgata, the big parade, was moved a week later, from the planned 21 March to 28 March, and the closing week slipped with it.
A tip from us, not from the town: if you're travelling specifically for the parade, give yourself some leeway, and check the official website before you set off.
How it's put together
The programme opens with the float that announces the carnival and the presentation of the candidates, followed by the Gran Dama gala, the children's Reinado Infantil and the Queen's gala. In the evenings there are street dances to Latin music, which here are called mogollones.
Children have their own parade, the Cabalgata Infantil, which goes along the Avenida de Tirajana in Playa del Inglés. In 2025 it was held on a Sunday morning, 23 March.
The last week
The carnival's busiest days come at the end. According to the 2026 programme:
At noon on Friday, the Rescate de la Sardina on the Playa de Maspalomas.
At nine on Friday evening, the Gala del Turista, the tourists' gala, on the carnival stage at the Yumbo shopping centre.
On Saturday, the Gran Cabalgata. According to the organisers, nearly 370 thousand people were there in 2025, probably the best-attended parade in the carnival's history.
At seven on Sunday evening, the burial of the sardine. The procession sets off from the Avenida Estados Unidos at the Yumbo and goes to the part of Playa del Inglés called Anexo II.
Birthplace of the drag gala
The Canary drag gala started here. According to the town's official website, the gala's origins go back to Maspalomas: in 1986 the Elección de Miss Trevestikarnatival contest was held here, and that experience was taken to Las Palmas in 1998, by then under the name Drag Queen. You can read about the Las Palmas gala here: Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: five weeks, a seven-kilometre parade and a sardine on Las Canteras beach.
Who it's for
Its official name is Carnaval Internacional de Maspalomas, and its programme is aimed squarely at tourists as well. The town hall says it makes the town one of the great points of reference for Canary carnivals and for international tourism. The Gala del Turista and the Rescate de la Sardina are both signs of this. Its official title is Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Canarias, a festival of tourist interest at Canary Islands level.
A different theme every year
The theme is decided by a public vote. In 2026 the world of the circus won, with 53 per cent of the votes.
What we know about 2027
For now there is only a press source on this; we haven't yet found any 2027 announcement on the town's official website. According to Canarias7, the town council has approved the dates: the carnival runs from 2 to 14 March, so it is being brought forward a few days. The same report says that Friday 12 March, the tourists' day, will be a local holiday in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. According to the local press (maspalomasnews), the theme is "Mundo de Juguetes", the world of toys, which received 59 per cent of the votes.
Practical information
The carnival's office and stage are, according to the official website, at the Yumbo shopping centre in Playa del Inglés. Phone: 928 723 400.
The routes and road closures are published on the official website every year.
How to pair it with Las Palmas
On Gran Canaria, carnival comes in two instalments: first Las Palmas, then Maspalomas. In 2025 Las Palmas buried the sardine on 16 March, and Maspalomas presented its candidates on 19 March. In 2026 Las Palmas finished on 1 March, and the Maspalomas carnival was announced from 10 March. On the capital's carnival: Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: five weeks, a seven-kilometre parade and a sardine on Las Canteras beach.
If you'd like to explore the island as well as the carnival: What to See in Gran Canaria: The Essential Sights. And you'll find the calendar of every Canary carnival here: Carnival in the Canary Islands: where, when, and which one to choose.
Cover photo: Boulevard El Faro and the Maspalomas lighthouse (not a carnival photo), 2019, Cnbrb, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources: Carnaval Internacional de Maspalomas, official website · The 2026 programme and the postponement · The 2025 closing day · Canarias7 on the 2027 dates · Maspalomas News on the 2027 theme