Tenerife Carnival 2025: Dates & Events | The Ultimate Guide

The carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the largest event of this kind happening in the Canary Islands and in Spain as well. It is actually the second largest carnival in the world and it is considered by many the best carnival, with the best atmosphere and friendly street parties. 

Tenerife Carnival 2025 dates: 31 January - 9 March 2025

These are the dates for the 2025 carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, based on previous editions, as the dates are calculated based on Easter dates that year. 

Other important events at the Carnival in Tenerife are the Burial of the Sardine (the day after the big carnival parade in Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the celebrations of the Daytime carnivals, the carnival parties that last all night long and the Rhythm & Harmony Party.

2025 Carnival theme in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The theme for the 2025 Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is "Secrets of Africa".

Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2025 - Provisional schedule

The program below is not final and changes can occur, so make sure to check the page for updates.

Schedule of events for Tenerife Carnival 2025

The most important events happen on the streets when the big parties take place and the city center of Santa Cruz comes to life every day and night with music and dancing.  

How to Celebrate the Carnival in Tenerife

The first thing you need to understand about the carnival is that this is a big celebration, comprised of several types of events, which take place over the course of a month. 

For example, at first, you have several events for the Election of the Tenerife Carnival Queen, then you have an Opening Parade (Announcement Parade), several days of street parties in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, followed by the big Carnival Parade (Coso de Carnaval) and the Burial of the Sardine. 

If you want to celebrate like the locals, then you have to participate in at least one night of carnival parties and at least one Daytime Carnival in Santa Cruz, also known as the Sábado de Piñata.

The Daytime Carnival is the event that draws the largest crowds of people to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to celebrate the carnival all day long - it is estimated that in 2019, 400 000 people celebrated the carnival on the streets of Santa Cruz, which would mean a world record for the largest gathering of people watching a concert in a public square.

Tenerife Carnival Queen

The carnival in Tenerife usually has several candidates for the title of Carnival Queen, for all three categories: Carnival Queen - the phase for Young adults, candidates for Elderly Queen and candidates for the kids' Queen.

Street parties during the Carnival in Santa Cruz

Also known as the Carnaval en la Calle (Carnival on the streets) these are the events that happen on the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and they are actually the heart and soul of the carnival, with big street parties where large crowds of people come together to celebrate the joy of the carnival.

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Costume ideas for Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival

Costumes at the Carnival in Tenerife

GOT fans in Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival

Many costumes inspired by TV shows at Tenerife carnival

"Freddie" on the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

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Wondering what to wear to the carnival in Tenerife?

Most of the participants at the carnival in Tenerife will be wearing a costume, and it is highly advisable that you get one as well! It doesn't have to be anything fancy or complicated, a simple wig with some funny sunglasses or a hat will do. 

Most of the locals will be dressed in costumes during the street parties, so if you want to blend in, you should try to be prepared. A lot of Chinese shops and supermarkets will sell different types of costumes during the carnival season, so it will not be difficult to find something simple and cheap.

During the parades, people don't tend to come dressed in costumes, but they will definitely be wearing costumes during streets parties like the Daytime carnival.

The Burial of the Sardine is another special day when participants come dressed up as "widows" of the sardine, mourning the poor sardine. So, if you want to be prepared, wear something black, like a black dress (men and women alike!), a veil and even a hat. This event tends to have sexual connotations, so don't be surprised when you see some extravagant costumes on the streets of Santa Cruz!

What's Tenerife Carnival like?

We have been to the big Carnival of Tenerife in 2019 and we must admit that we had a better time than we expected.

Since we are not big fans of large crowd gatherings, we thought that we would not enjoy the experience, but we're glad to say that we were wrong and that we absolutely loved every minute of the carnival in Tenerife!

We first went to the Announcement Parade, which took place on a Friday evening and then continued throughout the night with a big party. At this event, there were mostly locals and very few tourists, so it's a good opportunity to see the authentic atmosphere of the Tenerife Carnival. 

Although we were a bit afraid of the big crowds, we must say that there was ample space since the parade goes through several long boulevards, so you can pick a less crowded spot along the way. 

Regarding safety, although there was a lot of drinking involved, we must say that we never felt unsafe, as there were a lot of Police present everywhere and people were generally friendly, with everyone minding their own business. This might not be the case on every night of the carnival in Tenerife, but we never felt unsafe while we were there.

We went to all the different stages in the city centre, which had different types of music and atmosphere, but we preferred the vibe in Plaza de la Candelaria.

We liked the Opening parade of the carnival in Tenerife and we would recommend it to anyone (although the big parade before Ash Wednesday is larger and much more popular).

Honestly, the carnival in Santa Cruz was so much fun and we are planning to return for another edition since we did not get to attend all the events and we'd also like to come better prepared with costumes next time!

Tenerife Carnival Hospital (First Aid)

You must know that there is a big carnival hospital set-up close to the main area of the carnival, so in case you feel sick you can ask around about directions. We were impressed to see how big this area was and it's a good thing that they are able to provide immediate assistance to people who need it. 

Transport - How to get around the carnival

Most of the city centre will be blocked and closed to car traffic, so we would advise you to avoid coming by car into the centre area. Instead, you can use public transport and we have a dedicated article on how to get around the carnival in Santa Cruz.

Tenerife Carnival 2025 Poster

The poster for the 2025 carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has not been chosen yet. We will update the page as soon as it will be announced.

Planning to come to Tenerife for the Carnival?

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