Fiestas del Pilar in Guanarteme: what to see and when to go
Walk along the southern end of Las Canteras in early October and you will notice that the neighbourhood behind the beach is celebrating. Bunting, a stage in the square, music until late. These are the Fiestas del Pilar in Guanarteme, and in 2026 they run from 30 September to 12 October.
The programme is long, with a gala or a concert almost every night. But not every day carries the same weight, and two or three things happen only here.
What is celebrated, and why in this neighbourhood
At the centre of it all is the Virgen del Pilar, whose feast day is 12 October. The parish church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar stands on the square of the same name, and that square is where almost everything happens.
Guanarteme is a fairly young neighbourhood. Until the late nineteenth century, the isthmus that joins La Isleta to the rest of the city was an almost empty stretch of sand. The building of the Puerto de La Luz brought work, and work brought people from inland Gran Canaria and from the other islands, who built their houses on the sand. That is where the working-class character comes from, and you can still feel it in the fiesta: it is made by the neighbourhood for the neighbourhood, although anyone is welcome.
It is organised by a residents' fiesta committee, with the support of the Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. For the bigger picture of how these celebrations work across the islands, see our guide to Canarian fiestas and romerías.
The papagüevos, the neighbourhood's signature
If one thing sets this fiesta apart, it is the papagüevos: figures with a huge cardboard head, worn by a person inside, who dance through the streets to a band. The word is very Canarian, and comes from an old way of describing someone gullible, the kind who believes anything.
They have a history in Guanarteme, but there was a point when the tradition was fading. In 2005 the fiesta committee decided to revive it with a gathering that brought together papagüevos from several towns on the island. It worked from the first year, and today it is one of the best-loved events.
In 2026 you can see them three times:
Wednesday 30 September, 18:00. The Pasacalle de los Señores Papagüevos with the Banda Aborigen, which opens the fiesta with a walk through the streets around the square.
Sunday 4 October, 11:00. The 21st Encuentro de Papagüevos, with figures from Guanarteme, San Lorenzo, Schamann and San Isidro de Gáldar, and several bands. It is the most colourful morning to bring children.
Sunday 11 October, 23:30. A night-time papagüevos parade with the Banda Atlántico Sound, just before the fireworks.
The days that hold the fiesta together
Between galas, dances and concerts there is something on almost every night. If you can only go on one or two days, these are the ones that carry the rest.
The opening, 30 September. Besides the parade, the pregón (the opening speech) is at 20:00, given by Baby Solano, a familiar face from television, and at 21:00 comes the gala where the Reina and Miss Guanarteme are chosen.
1 October, the communities. At 18:30 the Desfile Folclórico de las Comunidades sets off from calle Pelayo to the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, and at 20:00 the Festival Folclórico opens in the square, with groups from the Canary Islands, Aragón, Extremadura and Venezuela.
The eve, Sunday 11 October. This is the big night. The romería leaves at 18:00, the offering with the parranda La Polvajera is at 20:00, there is a dance at 22:00, the night-time parade at 23:30 and the fireworks at midnight. After that the dance carries on with the Orquesta Armonía Show.
Día del Pilar, Monday 12 October. At 12:00 there is a solemn mass in the parish church, followed by the procession of the image through the neighbourhood. At 13:30 comes the big popular paella, and at 16:00 the closing concert with King África.
The romería that came back
The romería on 11 October has a recent story of its own. It went five years without being held and returned in 2024, at the request of the residents themselves.
It leaves at 18:00 from calle Pavía and goes along Simancas, Covadonga, Secretario Padilla, El Salvador, Vergara and Lepanto before reaching the plaza del Pilar. If you want to watch it go by without the crush, pick a spot along the route away from the square, where everyone gathers at the end.
Fireworks over Las Canteras
The fireworks are on the night of 11 to 12 October, at 00:00, level with the statue of Alfredo Kraus, at the southern end of Las Canteras beach, next to the auditorium.
The advantage of this spot is that the whole beach works as a grandstand. You can see them well from many points along the promenade, and there is no need to fight for a place right next to it. Arriving with some time to spare does help, because it is one of the busiest nights of the fiesta and Monday is a public holiday.
One practical detail: by the water, at night, there is usually a breeze. It is nothing like the cold of the mountains, but a light jacket is welcome.
Getting there, and what to expect
Guanarteme is in the Las Canteras area, right by the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, so if you are staying nearby you can simply walk along the promenade. From other parts of the city, the municipal buses (guaguas) drop you close by; on the big nights it is worth checking timetables and any diversions on the day.
If you drive, expect closed streets during the romería and the procession, and expect parking near the square on the night of the 11th to be difficult. Monday the 12th is a national holiday in Spain, so many people in the city have the day off and the area fills up.
If this kind of fiesta appeals to you, the Virgen del Pino in Teror holds an equivalent place in Gran Canaria in September, with a romería, a main day and a big night. In Tenerife, the Cristo de La Laguna fiesta follows a similar structure. And if you are coming for the beach rather than the fiesta, Las Canteras is on our list of the best beaches in Gran Canaria.
The times on this page are from the official 2026 programme of the Fiestas del Pilar in Guanarteme. The programme can change as it goes, so for the details of a given day it is worth checking the fiesta committee's social media.
Photo: the Guanarteme isthmus and Las Canteras beach, Laura Leon Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
