The must-see events of Carnival in the Canary Islands 2027, in February: in Tenerife, the Mascarita Ponte Tacón, featuring men in heels through Puerto de la Cruz, and the Santa Cruz Day Carnival, with 425,000 people on the streets; in Gran Canaria, Viudas a la Carrera and the burning sardine at Las Canteras. Almost everything is free.
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The 8 Must-See Highlights of the 2027 Canary Islands Carnival
👠 La Mascarita Ponte Tacón: guys in heels taking over Puerto de la Cruz
Friday night in Puerto de la Cruz. Over 400 guys in costumes strut past the measuring tape to check their heels.
It’s a 600-meter race-parade. It started back in 1990 with a handful of theater friends who were called “the crazies” at the bars. To join in, you just show up that afternoon, sign up, and get measured: it’s more about the power than the speed.
- 📅 A Friday in mid-February (confirmed in October)
- 💸 Free
- 📍 Historic center, aiming for Plaza del Charco
The trick: get there before eight. The measurement’s already a show.
🏃 Widows on the Run: 3.5 km running in mourning through Las Palmas
It’s Sunday noon in Las Palmas. A group of widows in black veils rushes out, mourning a sardine that hasn’t even died yet.
It’s a 3.5-kilometer race where everyone dresses up as widows of the sardine. It kicked off in 2025 with 250 participants, and it was such a hit that they brought it back in 2026. Forget about heels—this one’s all about the drama. You sign up according to the rules for each year.
- 📅 Late February, around noon
- 💸 Enjoy it for free!
- 📍 Santa Catalina Park Area
The trick: go for the whole day: race, parade, and a sizzling sardine at night.
🌙 The Carnival of Las Palmas 2027
☀️ Santa Cruz Day Carnival: 425,000 people and not a single ticket in sight!
Imagine 425,000 people in costumes dancing salsa under the blazing sun in February. It’s not a ticketed festival: it’s the whole city out on the streets, and it won’t cost you a thing.
That’s the number for the 2026 Piñata Saturday. Back in 1987, Celia Cruz brought together over 200,000 people here and made it into the Guinness records. The theme for 2027 is “Eternal Rome”: a sheet is already a toga.
- 📅 Two days in the second half of February
- 💸 Free
- 📍 Santa Cruz Center
The trick: for a chill vibe, go on Sunday. And bring cash: the card machine’s unreliable.
🌙 Nights: dance until six (and take the tram back)
Once it hits midnight, the square’s kinda empty. Don’t worry: the big parties in Santa Cruz kick off around one and go strong until six.
The mogollón is the giant street party: orchestras, DJs, and thousands of costumes, all for free. In Las Palmas, the night unfolds in the Puerto neighborhood.
- 📅 Second half of February
- 💸 Free
- 📍 Santa Cruz Center and Puerto neighborhood (Las Palmas)
The trick: Decide how you’re getting back before you head out. The tram to La Laguna runs 24 hours on weekends (just €1.10 with the app); during carnival, after 10 PM, its last stop in Santa Cruz is La Paz. In Las Palmas, the night L-2 line goes by Santa Catalina.
🌙 If you’re into electronic music, check out the best clubs in southern Tenerife
💃 The drag night: the Gala of Las Palmas and the Dragnaval of Santa Cruz
Focus, impossible platforms, and three and a half minutes to win over all of Parque Santa Catalina.
The Drag Gala of Las Palmas is the most-watched show of the year on Televisión Canaria, and the very first one in 1998 was won by a creation made from recycled materials. No ticket? The Dragnaval in Santa Cruz is free, takes place on the street, and the applause meter decides the winner.
- 📅 Second half of February
- 💸 Gala, €15 in 2026; Dragnaval, free
- 📍 Santa Catalina Park and downtown Santa Cruz
The trick: in 2026, tickets sold out in about four minutes. Grab yours before the flight.
🎤 The humor of song: murgas and the Song of Laughter
Tons of painted faces blowing whistles and singing the truths to politicians with tunes everyone knows.
The Canarian murga started in 1917 when some sailors from Cádiz sang like they do in their chirigotas in Santa Cruz. And to make you laugh till you cry, there’s the Song of Laughter, featuring groups like “Las Gediondas” and “Los Cornucas Atómicos”: in 2025, they packed the theater, and it was free entry!
- 📅 From late January to mid-February
- 💸 Santa Cruz’s final murgas event, €12 in 2026
- 📍 Santa Cruz and Las Palmas
The trick: even if you don’t get all the local humor, the crowd will translate it for you.
🌙 The story of the Canarian murga
🐶 The Canine Carnival of Las Palmas
Pups in costumes strutting with their owners. Get your phone ready: it’s the most photogenic event of the carnival.
- 📅 A Sunday in early February
- 💸 Check it out for free (forecast)
- 📍 Las Palmas (location to be announced)
The trick: Traveling with your dog? Registration closes in the fall (for 2026, it’s September 30, 2025) and they ask for a microchip registration.
🌙 The Carnival of Las Palmas 2027
🐟 The Burial of the Sardine: the funeral that’ll have you laughing your heart out
Widows in strict mourning with veils, crying out behind a giant sardine. No one’s sad. Everyone’s putting on a show.
All the Canarian carnivals end with the burial of their sardine. This rite exists all over Spain, but here it’s a mass spectacle: there’s no other funeral where thousands of people dress in black to laugh their hearts out. In Las Palmas, it burns bright on the sands of Las Canteras: in 2026, a five-meter sardine styled like Elvis, made of wood, cork, and sustainable paints. Dress up as a widow and join in, or enter the Best Widow contest.
- 📅 In Las Palmas, at the end of February
- 💸 Free
- 📍 Las Canteras Beach
The trick: catch the parade on the route because the end gets super crowded.
🌙 The Burial of the Sardine and all the Carnaval in Las Palmas
And if you’re curious: in La Palma, Los Indianos covers the city in white and talcum powder; in Lanzarote, Los Buches gently hit the crowd with inflated fish bladders, and in El Hierro, the Carneros chase people to smudge their faces with soot.
Choose your plan
| If you’re looking for… | Don’t miss out! |
|---|---|
| Party until dawn | Nights and Daytime Carnival |
| Plans you won’t find anywhere else | Mascarita Heels Race, Widows on the Run, and Killing the Snake (Puerto de la Cruz) |
| Cultura | Murgas, Song of Laughter, Drag Gala and the Grand Lady Gala of Las Palmas |
| Everything’s free! | Day Carnival, nights, Dragnaval, parades, and burials |
How to travel cheap to the Carnival in the Canary Islands and where to stay
The carnival costs you zero euros: what you’ll pay for is a place to sleep. Santa Cruz has 2,679 hotel beds for over a million people, and in 2026, occupancy hit 83%, according to Ashotel. The move: crash in La Laguna and take the tram down, or stay in Las Palmas and get around by bus.
| Your carnival by the numbers | Precio |
|---|---|
| Day Carnival, nights, parades, and burials | €0 |
| Tram Santa Cruz ⇄ La Laguna, with the ten+móvil app | €1.10 per trip |
| 5 tram ride pass, in the app | €2.50 |
| Daily tram pass | €10 |
| Parties and contests with entry | from €8 to €15 (2026 prices) |
| Nest Pass: shared dorm, from 7 nights | €20 a night |
For the budget of your whole trip, how much it really costs to travel around Tenerife. And to make the most of every euro, check out 8 tips to save money during the Carnival in Tenerife.
Affordable and sustainable go hand in hand
The cheapest options are often the most sustainable, and the Canary Islands’ carnivals are making it happen: in 2026, Santa Cruz recycled five tons more waste than the previous year.
- Tram or bus, not a taxi: that’s what the local council recommends.
- Reusable bottle, instead of buying water.
- Reused or homemade costume.
- Biodegradable glitter: Las Palmas is already banning the other kind in a contest.
- Eat at a guachinche: wine straight from the vineyard, local and fresh. What are guachinches
Frequently Asked Questions about the Canary Islands Carnival 2027
What is the Mascarita Ponte Tacón and how do you participate?
How to travel cheaply to the Carnival of the Canary Islands?
How do I get home at night during the carnival?
Can you attend the carnivals in Tenerife and Gran Canaria on the same trip?
Experience the carnival with us!
We’ve got hostels on both islands, really close to everything (with crowds, add about 30 to 50% more):
- Puerto Nest (Punta Brava, Puerto de la Cruz): just a 29-minute walk to the Plaza del Charco.
- Aguere Nest (La Laguna): just a 6-8 minute walk to the tram and about 30-35 minutes by tram to Santa Cruz.
- Pura Vida by Nest (Guanarteme, Las Palmas): just a 10-minute walk from Las Canteras and 29 minutes from Parque Santa Catalina.
- La Isleta Nest (Las Palmas): just a 19-minute walk to Las Canteras and 29 minutes to Parque Santa Catalina.
- Las Palmas Nest (Vegueta): in the historic center; catch the carnival by bus.
Staying a week or more? With the Nest Pass, you can snag a bed in a shared dorm for just €20 a night and hop between hostels in Tenerife and Gran Canaria. In February, just make sure to request your change in advance, as it depends on availability. For example: 3 nights in Puerto de la Cruz and 9 in La Laguna would be €240.
🎭 Looking for a bed during carnival dates?
These buttons check availability with the dates already set: from February 19 to 24 at Aguere Nest, for the main week of Santa Cruz, and from February 26 to March 1 at Pura Vida, for the end of Las Palmas.
Fountains
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Hall — Carnival 2026 recap
- Puerto de la Cruz Town Hall — International Carnival
- Las Palmas City Hall (lpacarnaval.com) — details for the 2026 Dog Carnival
- Metrotenerife – special tram and bus services during carnival
- Guaguas Municipales — night line L2
- Ashotel – hotel occupancy in Santa Cruz during Carnival 2026
- Canary Islands Tourism (Hello Canary Islands) — Mascarita Ponte Tacón
- RTVC — Burial of the Sardine in Las Palmas 2026
- Diario de Avisos — the origins of the Mascarita Ponte Tacón
Last updated: September 2026.
