The Carnival in Santa Cruz de la Palma is celebrated each year sometime in February or March and it is also known as The White Party, for its unusual characteristic. Thousand of people dressed in white, locals, and visitors alike, fill the streets and participate in a night of dancing and talcum powder fighting.
Recipients with talcum powder are given for free to the participants and there are also big cannons filled with powder, which “shoot” toward the crowd. By the end of the evening, everyone is covered in talcum powder from head to toe - good thing they were wearing white from the start, no? Useful tip: bring a hat!
The big White Party in Santa Cruz de La Palma is usually celebrated with people filling the streets with music, dancing, and...talcum powder of course!
Fiesta de Los Indianos dates back to the times when people returned to their native island of La Palma from the colonies in Latin America, bringing back wealth and some of the traditions they found in that part of the world.
Cuban music and the color white will once again cover La Palma to bring life to the party that honors those who have returned to the island after emigrating to Cuba in search of prosperity. The Black Tomasa will disembark and dance again in the "Plaza de Havana" in front of the thousands of people who wait for her every year.
The day of the party officially starts at 12:00, with the moment called The Wait (La Espera) when the Indians are welcomed with Cuban music and tastings of mojitos and molasses. The afternoon is the moment for the parade, which starts on the street called Avenida de Los Indianos and moves towards Plaza de la Alameda (Alameda Square). The party usually takes up the entire historic center of the city and the number of people in the city goes up to 50,000 from the 20,000 that represent the usual population of Santa Cruz de la Palma.
The music, costumes and atmosphere remind us of Latin America and especially Cuba. Visitors enjoy the Caribbean feel this party has, very different from other fiestas and carnivals in the Canary Islands.
The all-white costumes are meant to recreate the look of the Indianos, including the hats and the Cuban cigars.
People from all over the world are coming to La Palma just for this celebration and this is probably the busiest period for the island’s tourism. The date for the carnival Los Indianos is usually announced one year in advance, so guests can have time to plan their travels.
Usually, after the Monday of the party of Los Indianos, the big carnival in Santa Cruz de La Palma continues for several days, with street parties and a great atmosphere.
This page will be updated as soon as we have more information about the carnival's upcoming edition.
The main stage will be located on Avenida Maritima