Carnival of Santa Cruz de La Palma and Los Indianos: white clothes, talcum powder and a day in Havana
One Monday morning in Santa Cruz de La Palma, everyone is in white. Linen suits, guayaberas, light summer dresses, hats. Cuban music drifts up from the port, and by the afternoon the whole town is covered in white powder. This is Los Indianos, the big day of the La Palma carnival, and there's nothing else like it in the Canary Islands.
The mayor once summed it up like this: "Here we don't dress up, we dress for the occasion."
What it celebrates
Los Indianos is a parody of a homecoming. Many people from La Palma emigrated to the Americas, mostly to Cuba, and those who came back rich were called indianos. These returnees dressed in their own way: in light-coloured linen and cotton clothes with a European cut.
The carnival acts out that moment. The first Indianos parade was organised by a group of friends in the 1920s, and in 1966 it became part of the carnival's official programme. The talcum powder battles were added in the 1980s, and the scene of "the waiting" in the nineties.
When it usually happens
Los Indianos is always on Carnival Monday, two days before Ash Wednesday. The town hall itself puts it this way: "as tradition dictates".
Since Ash Wednesday depends on Easter, the date moves from year to year. In recent years it fell on 12 February in 2024, on 3 March in 2025 and on 16 February in 2026. According to press reports, the town hall has already announced the day for 2027: 8 February. That matches the pattern, because in 2027 Ash Wednesday falls on 10 February.
The exact programme is published by the town. As soon as it's out, we add it to our agenda.
How the day unfolds
The morning starts with ceremony:
At around half past ten the Negra Tomasa, the carnival's best-known character, arrives with her family. Her welcome opens the day: in 2025 she was greeted at the port, in 2026 at the carnival's main stage.
Next comes "La Espera", the waiting scene at the town hall, where the traditional honey soup (sopa de miel) is also served.
At around half past eleven, on the Plaza de España, a plaque is unveiled that renames the square for one day: today, it's the Plaza de La Habana.
After that, music plays all day on several of the town's squares: the Plaza de España, the Plaza de La Alameda, the Plaza José Mata, at the market (La Recova) and at the carnival's main stage. The last act in the programme starts at four in the morning.
By the afternoon, the thing the day is best known for gets going: the talcum powder. You don't need to bring your own: the town hall hands out several tonnes for free from lorries.
What to wear
White or something light, ideally linen or cotton, like the original indianos. A hat helps against the sun too. Anything black or dark will be grey by evening.
Two tips from us, not from the town: put your phone in a bag or a case, and if you wear contact lenses, bring glasses instead for the day.
The other carnival days
Los Indianos is the high point, but the carnival lasts about ten days around it. Based on the 2026 programme, it's structured like this:
Thursday: the schools' parade opens it, from the Plaza de la Alameda along the seafront avenue to the main stage.
Friday: the Fiesta de la Peluca, the wig party. All you need is a wig.
Saturday: the parade of "ambassadors and great personalities" through the streets, with parrandas.
Sunday: in the morning, the children's day, Los Indianitos, on the Plaza de La Alameda, and in the evening the Orillas del Son Cuban music festival, the eve of the big day.
Monday: Los Indianos.
The Friday after Ash Wednesday: the funeral of Doña Sardina, Lady Sardine, at the main stage, with sardines handed out, followed by her burning on the shore at Playa de Bolos.
Saturday: the Piñata, the closing day.
A different theme every year
Residents vote for the carnival's theme on the town hall website, months in advance. In 2025 it was the jungle, in 2026 TV series. The theme mainly shapes the schools' parade and the decorations. Los Indianos day doesn't depend on it: that's always white.
If you're coming from another island
Los Indianos is one of the busiest days in the islands: in 2024, according to the press, more than sixty thousand people were in town. In the mayor's words, visitors arrive "from the port or the airport". If you're coming by boat or plane, book your ticket and accommodation in good time.
On the island itself, the bus is the easiest option: the local bus company (Transportes Insular La Palma) runs extra services that day to the surrounding towns, in 2026 on eleven routes, non-stop until two in the morning. The music, though, goes on longer, so if you want to stay until the end of the party, plan your way home in advance.
If you'd like to explore the island as well as the carnival: What to See in La Palma: The Essentials of the Isla Bonita. 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: Plaza de España in Santa Cruz de La Palma, where the Los Indianos morning takes place, on an ordinary day (not a carnival photo), 2022, Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources: Santa Cruz de La Palma town hall, the 2026 carnival programme (PDF) · Diario de Avisos on the history of Los Indianos · Mundo La Palma on the 2027 date · Mundo La Palma on the buses · Mundo La Palma on the talcum handout