The Tenerife Carnival is the biggest street party in Spain and the second largest Carnival in the world after Rio. This guide has the official 2027 dates, the main events in Santa Cruz, what happens in the south and in Puerto de la Cruz, the honest way to get there, and the four nights Club Canary runs buses to from the south. We update it every time the Ayuntamiento changes something, and in 2027 they changed the biggest thing of all.

Why The Tenerife Carnival 2027 Is Two Weeks Later

Carnival normally follows the church calendar: Carnival Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, which in 2027 falls on 9 February. Santa Cruz moved the whole programme two weeks later, for the first time in its history, because the Recinto Ferial, where the galas and contests are held, was not available in time to build the stage. So the Coso Apoteosis, the main parade, is on Tuesday 23 February 2027, and it is still a local holiday in the city.

Official Tenerife Carnival 2027 Dates, Santa Cruz

• Fri 22 JanuaryOpening galaThe official start of Carnival 2027 at the Recinto Ferial.
• Late Jan to mid FebMurgas, comparsas and rondallas contestsThe singing and dance groups compete over several nights. Tickets from the Ayuntamiento.
• Wed 17 FebruaryGala de la ReinaThe Carnival Queen is chosen, in dresses that weigh more than the women wearing them. Televised across Spain.
• Fri 19 FebruaryCabalgata AnunciadoraThe opening parade. The city takes to the streets and walks with it.
• Sat 20 FebruaryRitmo y ArmoníaThe comparsas dance down Avenida de Anaga, judged from the tribunes.
• Sun 21 FebruaryCarnaval de DíaDaytime street party with music stages in the centre.
• Mon 22 FebruaryDragnavalThe drag gala, one of the most watched nights of the Carnival.
• Tue 23 FebruaryCoso ApoteoosThe main parade: floats, the Queen, the comparsas, around 200,000 people. Local holiday in Santa Cruz.
• Wed 24 FebruaryEntierro de la SardinaThe Burial of the Sardine. The city buries its Carnival with mock widows, fire and fireworks at the harbour.
• Fri 26 FebruaryCoso InfantilThe parade for children.
• Sat 27 and Sun 28 FebruaryCarnaval de Día and PiñataThe last weekend. Daytime party on Saturday, the Piñata and the closing fireworks on Sunday.

Dates follow the official programme of the Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The daily schedule of the contest phases is added as the city publishes it. Gold dots are the nights you can book a bus to below.

The Four Carnival Nights You Can Book From The South

Santa Cruz is 75 kilometres from Costa Adeje. On the big nights the roads into the city are closed, parking does not exist and a taxi home after midnight is a lottery. Club Canary has run buses to the Santa Cruz Carnival every year since 2022 and moves more guests from the south than anyone else, with authorised access to the Carnival bus zone, a host at boarding and a separate line from Puerto de la Cruz.

Walking night

Friday 19 February

Cabalgata Anunciadora

The opening night. No chairs, no tribune: you walk with the parade through the centre, shoulder to shoulder with the locals. The night for groups of friends, residents and anyone who can walk for hours. Resident price on the bus.

Cabalgata Bus From The South

Tribune chairs

Saturday 20 February

Ritmo y Armonía

The comparsas night. The dance groups of the island come down Avenida de Anaga one after the other with their drum lines, judged from the tribunes, so the choreography happens right in front of the chairs. Bus, minibus and chairs.

Ritmo y Armonía Bus And Chairs

Tribune chairs

Tuesday 23 February

Coso Apoteoos

The parade of the year. Floats, the Carnival Queen, the comparsas and around 200,000 people, by day, on a local holiday. The night chairs sell out; in 2026 guests who booked after mid December did not get one. Bookings for 2027 opened in September.

Coso Apoteosis Bus And Chairs

Walking night

Wednesday 24 February

Entierro de la Sardina

The day after the Coso the city buries its Carnival: a giant sardine carried to the harbour by thousands of widows in black, most of them men, then burned under fireworks. New for 2027 with a Club Canary bus, one coach from the south, runs with 25 guests or full refund.

Entierro Bus From The South

Why The Tenerife Carnival Is The Big One

The Santa Cruz Carnival has the paperwork to back the claim: declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 1980, and in 1987 a Celia Cruz concert on the Plaza de España put more than 200,000 people in one square, a Guinness record for an open air gathering at the time. What makes it different from Rio or Venice is that it is not a show you buy a ticket for. The galas and contests are ticketed, but the parades and the street parties are free and the whole city is in costume, from grandmothers to the police. Every year has a theme, chosen by public vote, that shapes the floats, the Queen's dress and half the costumes in the street. For 2027 it is Roma Eterna. The nine days from the Cabalgata to the Piñata are one long street party, and the Coso Apoteosis on Tuesday is the peak.

Carnival In The South And In Puerto de la Cruz

After Santa Cruz

Usually early March

Los Cristianos And South Tenerife Carnival 2027

The south has its own Carnival after Santa Cruz, organised by the Ayuntamiento de Arona: a parade through the centre of Los Cristianos, drag shows, costume contests, live music and street parties near the beach. Smaller, closer and easier with children. Arona publishes its dates after the Santa Cruz programme; they are added here the day they come out.

Same weeks

February, dates to confirm

Puerto de la Cruz Carnival 2027

Puerto de la Cruz runs its own Carnival in the same weeks, with its main parade on a Saturday in February and the Mascarita Ponte Tacón, the high-heel race for men in drag. Staying in Puerto? Club Canary runs a separate bus line from Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava to the Santa Cruz nights, so you do not miss the Coso or Ritmo y Armonía.

How To Get To The Santa Cruz Carnival

Tenerife Carnival Tips For 2027

• Dress up. Nearly everyone does. For Roma Eterna a toga, a laurel crown or a red cape is enough; you will not be the only Roman in the street.
• Book chairs early. The city releases the final chair numbers only about three weeks before the parades and chairs go in booking order. "Two months before" is late.
• Bring a jacket. February evenings in Santa Cruz are 15 to 16 degrees with wind from the harbour. The Coso is by day, the other nights are not.
• Cash and a small bag. Card machines fail in the crowd, and a closed belt bag beats a backpack.
• Toilets are basic. Use the one at the hotel or a bar. Tribune chairs come with a toilet area, the street does not.
• Agree a meeting point. Phone signal drops with 200,000 people on one avenue. Decide where to meet before you split up.
• Children. The Coso by day and the Coso Infantil are the family events. The night parades are loud, late and packed.
• Stay in Santa Cruz? Hotels in the capital sell out for Carnival week months ahead. From the south, the bus is the easier plan.

Stay Updated On Tenerife Carnival Dates And News

We update this page as soon as the Ayuntamiento publishes new information, including the contest schedule, the Los Cristianos dates and the Puerto de la Cruz parade. For Tenerife events, New Year's Eve, boat parties and offers, sign up for the Club Canary newsletter below.