Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Celia Cruz, two hundred thousand dancers and a Tuesday parade along the seafront
In 1987, more than two hundred thousand people danced with Celia Cruz in the open air in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Guinness World Records listed it as the open-air dance with the largest audience. That same year, the carnival had a single, unifying theme for the first time: Rome.
Back in 1980 the carnival was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest (Fiesta de Interés Turístico Internacional). According to the organisers, it is made possible every year by the work of nearly ten thousand people in its associations.
This page describes how it usually happens. The year 2027 is an exception, and we've written about it separately: Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2027: when it happens, what is on each day, and what it all means.
When it usually happens
The Santa Cruz carnival comes in two parts. The contests and galas start in mid January at the Recinto Ferial de Tenerife, while the street carnival takes over in the days before Ash Wednesday and ends straight after it. The usual structure:
From January: contests at the Recinto Ferial. Murgas, the carnival's satirical singing groups (children's and adult), comparsas, rondallas, musical and choreographic groups, and a costume contest.
In the week before the street carnival: the gala where the Queen is chosen.
The opening: the Cabalgata Anunciadora, a night-time parade through the city's main streets.
The first Sunday: the Carnaval de Día, the daytime street carnival.
On Carnival Tuesday: the Coso Apoteosis, the big parade.
On Ash Wednesday: the burial of the sardine (Entierro de la Sardina).
On the Saturday after: Piñata Saturday, the second Carnaval de Día.
What this looks like in practice: in 2024 the carnival ran from 12 January to 18 February, and the Coso was on 13 February. In 2025 a late Easter pushed the Coso to 4 March. In 2026 the carnival ran from 16 January to 22 February, with the Coso on 17 February and the burial of the sardine on the 18th.
Ash Wednesday depends on Easter, so carnival moves from year to year. The exact programme is published by the city. As soon as it's out, we add it to our agenda.
The exception: 2027
Santa Cruz has moved its street carnival two weeks later for 2027. The town hall cited operational and logistical reasons, and according to the press the decision was down to how little time was left before Lent. So in 2027 the carnival falls after Ash Wednesday, unlike the usual pattern. We've gathered the 2027 programme in a separate article: Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2027: when it happens, what is on each day, and what it all means.
The Cabalgata and the Carnaval de Día
The Cabalgata Anunciadora opens the carnival on the street: a night-time parade along the main routes of Santa Cruz.
The Carnaval de Día is the daytime face of carnival. According to the official description, hundreds of thousands of people gather during the day at the various stages around the city centre, and it happens twice: on the first Sunday of carnival and on Piñata Saturday. The main spots for the street party are the Avenida de Anaga, the Plaza de España and the city centre.
The Coso Apoteosis
Carnival Tuesday is the big day. The organisers call the Coso the carnival's grand finale: an afternoon parade along the seafront avenues, the Avenida Francisco La Roche and the Avenida Marítima. In both 2025 and 2026 it set off at four o'clock.
The day gets going in the morning. In 2026 it opened at eleven on the Plaza del Príncipe with the traditional Tuesday concerts, with performances by the NiFú NiFá and Los Fregolinos.
As for scale: in 2024 more than ten thousand members of carnival groups alone marched in the Coso. In 2026 the town hall set out 6,500 free chairs along the route, plus stands for 1,300 people.
The burial of the sardine
On Ash Wednesday, the carnival says goodbye with a mock funeral procession. According to the official description, it is made up of widows and mourners who, with plenty of humour, refuse to bid farewell to carnival.
A different theme every year
The theme tradition began in 1987 with Rome: it was the first theme to give the whole celebration a single look and story. In 2024 the theme was television, and in 2026 it was "Ritmos latinos", Latin rhythms. That one was chosen in an online vote, with just over a third of the votes. For 2027 there was no vote: the city's fiesta body chose, and forty years on, the theme is Rome once again.
Practical information
What needs a ticket: the galas and contests at the Recinto Ferial, which you have to buy tickets for in advance.
What's free: according to the official website, the parades, concerts and street parties are free and open to everyone.
Places to watch the Coso: in 2026 there were stands along the route as well as the free chairs.
Getting around: the organisers' recurring advice is to use public transport.
If you'd like to fit more into one week
In a typical year, two other Tenerife carnivals fit neatly around Santa Cruz. Los Realejos celebrates in the same week, with its big parade on Carnival Monday, the day before the Santa Cruz Coso: Carnival of Los Realejos: Señor Rascayú, the Monday Coso and a day in the carnival capital of the north. And Puerto de la Cruz's best days fall on the Friday and Saturday after the Santa Cruz Tuesday: Carnival of Puerto de la Cruz: a high-heel race, German friends and a sardine at the harbour.
You'll find the calendar of every Canary carnival here: Carnival in the Canary Islands: where, when, and which one to choose. If you'd like to explore the island as well as the carnival: What to See in Tenerife: The Essential Sights.
Cover photo: a comparsa in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Coso, 2014, Valmin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources: Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the history of the carnival · Santa Cruz de Tenerife town hall, the 2026 theme and dates · Santa Cruz de Tenerife town hall, the 2027 programme · Diario de Avisos on the 2026 Coso · Turismo de Tenerife, the 2024 carnival
