santa cruz tenerife book fair garcia sanabria park may 2026

Santa Cruz Book Fair: literature fills García Sanabria Park

April is book month, but in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the celebrations stretch well into May

At a time when the capital is already enjoying fine weather and in the midst of its founding festivities, García Sanabria Park has once again been chosen as the venue to offer the widest possible range of leisure and culture. Amid the gardens, crosses, sculptures and stages packed with performances, several markets have taken over the different walkways of the city centre’s green lung, and the Book Fair has once again become a must-visit for many residents. More than three dozen stalls are now open until Monday 4 May, showcasing the offerings of bookshops, publishers, distributors, foundations, associations and information spaces.

Alongside these sales points, the programme also includes activities in two main spaces: the Alfonso García Ramos Cultural Space, located at the Patricio Estévanez roundabout, and the Ángel Guimerá Cultural Space, situated on the Rambla de Santa Cruz. Several marquees are also hosting children’s workshops and family activities throughout these days. Fiction, essays, poetry and graphic novels are all on offer to the public, who also have the chance to meet their favourite authors, with book signings and reader encounters taking place every day.

Ifara Libros: 60 years of serving the capital

Ifara Libros is the oldest bookshop in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, having served residents of the capital for 60 years. Cecilia Chinea is in charge of the stall the business has set up in García Sanabria Park, which she describes as a “wonderful place” to host this kind of activity. Regular customers and newcomers alike are strolling through the area and showing interest in the new releases the traders have brought. Among those habitual buyers, Chinea particularly mentions children who “are now ten years old and whom I first met in the shop when they came in as babies in a pram”. She is delighted that the reading habit is being discovered and encouraged from such an early age. Canarian literature is proving the most popular at the Ifara Libros stall, with many copies sold of Niñas sucias, Las galletas and Han cantado bingo. However, sales of essays and a wide variety of novels are also notable.

La Pardela: a newcomer to the fair

La Pardela is a bookshop that has just opened its doors on Calle San Clemente and is taking part in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Book Fair for the first time. Its owner, Dácil Zurita, is pleased with the public turnout over these days, though she notes that more buyers came on Friday than yesterday, with the public holiday having a positive effect. Zurita aims to offer independent literature in her business, and that is what she is bringing to her stall in the park, where she has sold titles such as Las Galletas by Tenerife-born Óscar Liam, and Pan de ángeles, the memoirs of Patti Smith.

El Atril returns for a second year

Librería El Atril, located on Calle Suárez Guerra, is taking part in this iconic event for the second consecutive year. On this occasion, its stall is situated in the Rambla de Santa Cruz area, something its owner Laura Díaz regrets because the wifi connection does not reach that side of the fair very well. However, that inconvenience has not affected sales over these days, which have focused above all on children’s and Canarian literature, thanks largely to the presence of many authors from the islands who have come to the stall to sign copies of their books. On Saturday afternoon, for example, it was the turn of María del Mar Rodríguez, who is visiting the fair these days accompanied by her three highly successful titles: La prestamista, La tuerta and La viuda blanca.

Four decades of the Canarian Popular Culture Centre

The Canarian Popular Culture Centre (CCPC) has been taking part in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Book Fair for 40 years, since its founding. Meme Sosa has been present all these years and is pleased that “the public turnout is always guaranteed because we are in a very beautiful, central location”. She also points out that books help to enhance the Fiestas de Mayo, becoming the best “ally” to complete the offering. These days, the CCPC stall is selling a bit of everything. New children’s titles are proving very popular, as are books of Canarian sayings and traditions. Indeed, Meme Sosa is delighted that children are showing great interest in literature these days and reflected, between sales: “A child who reads will not only excel in language arts, but will get good marks in many other subjects at school.” She concluded: “In these rather gloomy times, culture is all we have left, so we have to make the most of it at events like this one.”

What’s on: Sunday 3 and Monday 4 May

Beyond book sales, highlights among the activities scheduled for Sunday 3 May include a creative workshop followed at 11:00 by the storytelling session Fantaseando. The day will also feature the Cuenteando route at 12:00 and 18:00, and a workshop from 16:00. An hour later, the show Viaja con nosotros, starring Mariquita and Tontón, will take place. On Monday 4 May, creative workshops for families will run at 10:00 and 16:00. At 11:00, the Ángel Guimerá Space will host the music storytelling session Jacinta tiene mucho que decir, while at 17:00 the programme will draw to a close with the early childhood workshop Chiquitines Go Reggae.

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