Tenerife Carnival 2018 - All You Need To Know

The 2018 Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has already been announced and here you can find the dates, program and all you need to know about it!

Read all there is to know about the new edition of the Tenerife Carnival!

The theme of the Tenerife Carnival in 2018 was up for public voting until 31 march 2017. The theme from which the public could choose were:  Carnival on ice (El Carnaval sobre el hielo), Fantasy (La Fantasía),  New York, the city that never sleeps (Nueva York, la ciudad que nunca duerme), The Old West (El Viejo Oeste), The Renaissance (El Renacimiento),  Old Greece (La Antigua Grecia) and The Savanna (La Sabana).

The chosen theme for the Carnival in Tenerife 2018 is La Fantasia - Fantasy.

There were over 12000 votes in total on the online platform, and around 25% of the voters selected the theme Fantasy as their preferred option with over 3000 votes. So let your fantasy go wild and bring your craziest suit for this amazing event in Tenerife!

Vote for the Carnival's poster

The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has opened now the online public voting for the carnival's poster and you can choose the proposal that you like best.

The voting for the poster has now ended.

The public has chosen the winner poster for the 2018 carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife: it's the work of Nareme Melian Mahugo, who obtained a total of 10452 votes (almost 25% of the total submitted). His poster illustrates beautifully the theme for this year - La Fantasia and will be representing the events in the month to come.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2018 Dates: 7 – 18 February 2018

The main events are:

• Election of the Tenerife Carnival Queen – 7 February 2018
  
• Santa Cruz de Tenerife Parade – 13 February 2018
• Funeral of the Sardine – 14 February 2018

Election of the Carnival Queen  

• Date: 7 February
• Time: 21:30 h
• Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos

The Queen of the 2018 Carnival is Carmen Laura Lourido Perez.

Cabalgada Anunciadora del Carnaval 

• Date: 9 February
• Time: 20:00 h
• Location: Starting from the plaza of the Dominican Republic and going towards Avenida Asuncion, Ramón y Cajal, Galcerán, Plaza de Weyler,
  Méndez Núñez, Pilar, Villalba Hervás, La Marina and ending in the Avenida de Francisco La Roche.

Coso Apoteosis del Carnaval - Santa Cruz de Tenerife Parade 2018 

• Date: 13 February
• Time: 16:00 h
• Location: Avenida de Francisco La Roche.
• Funeral of the Sardine
• Date: 14 February
• Time: 22:00 h
• Location: Plaza del Principe

This is one of the best parts of the carnival for many of the participants. The celebration starts with a giant sardine that is followed by a funeral parade of men in drag. At the end of the parade the sardine is put on fire, in a show that is both mesmerizing and bizarre, a unique experience for the participants.

 Apart from these main events, there are other celebrations during this period, both in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in Puerto de la Cruz.

The Carnival in Tenerife is the second largest carnival after the one in Rio de Janeiro and it's certainly the biggest and most important event in the Canary Islands.

 Carnaval de Tenerife Schedule 2018

From start to finish the carnival lasts more than a month and this year the festivities will start less than a week after the celebration of the Three Magic Kings.

• Friday 12 January:
  Inauguration of the Carnival 2018
  Time: 21:30 h
• Wednesday 17 January & Thursday 18 January & Friday 19 January
  Concurso de Murgas Infantiles
  Time: 19:00 h
  Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos
• Saturday 20 January
  Musical groups
  Time: 20:00 h
  Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos
• Sunday 20 January
  Coreographic festival
  Time: 17:00 h
  Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos
• Monday 22 January & Tuesday 23 January & Wednesday 24 January
  Concurso de Murgas Adultas
  Time: 20:30 h
  Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos
• Saturday 27 January
  Final of Concurso de Murgas Adultas
  Time: 19:30 h
  Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos
• Sunday 28 January
  Election of the Queen for Kids
  Time: 18:00 h
  Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos
• Wednesday 7 February
  Election of the Carnival Queen
  Time: 21:30 h
  Location: Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos

Saturday 10 February and Sunday 11 February

• Kids Carnival
• Time: 17:00 - 20:00 h
• Location: Parque Bulevar

Most of the towns and resorts in Tenerife are also celebrating with their own carnival, but these events will be announced at a later time. Los Cristianos, Los Gigantes, Puerto de la Cruz, Adeje, all of them have their own carnival, smaller in size compared to the one in Santa Cruz, but less crowded and with plenty of charm.

If you are coming to Tenerife for the carnival, it is better to get accommodation in the capital, even for a few days while the event is taking place. You can get a cheap apartment on Airbnb if you book with some time in advance, and that way you will avoid crowded buses and busy traffic. You can also get a discount for your first booking if you sign up using our Airbnb coupon code.