arona carnival 2027 after easter

Arona Carnival 2027 moved to after Easter Week

Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.

Santa Cruz shake-up sends ripples across Tenerife

Some say that when Santa Cruz catches a cold, the whole island sneezes. The expression sums up the weight that decisions taken in the Tenerife capital carry for the rest of the island’s municipalities. And Carnival is once again a case in point. The organising team in the capital, led by councillor Javier Caraballero, has agreed to delay the start of the next edition by two weeks to avoid a rushed build-up. Previously, the opening had been scheduled barely two days after the arrival of the Three Kings, leaving no time to complete the stage assembly at the Recinto Ferial. For the first time, Santa Cruz has chosen not to align itself with the religious calendar, a decision that will throw up unprecedented situations, such as Ash Wednesday falling on the same day as the Queen of the Elders gala.

The shift in dates in the capital has created a knock-on effect across several municipalities in Tenerife, particularly those that rely on groups from Santa Cruz to complete their parades and galas. Among the most significant changes is Arona, which will move its Carnival to after Easter Week. Holy Week will run from 21 to 28 March, while Arona’s carnival festivities would be set from 1 to 12 April 2027, with the main Coso Apoteosis parade on Sunday 11 April.

Avoiding a clash with Holy Week

Traditionally, Arona’s Carnival has been held two or three weeks after Santa Cruz’s. After the capital’s Domingo de Piñata came events such as the Encuentro de Murgas in Candelaria and the Piñata Chica in Tacoronte, before Los Cristianos brought the island’s carnival calendar to a close with performances from the capital’s groups. Keeping that schedule in 2027 would have created a serious problem. Moving Santa Cruz’s Carnival to late February would have placed several of Arona’s natural dates firmly in Lent, with the risk of clashing with the central days of Easter Week. Palm Sunday falls on 21 March and Easter Sunday on 28 March, meaning that some of Arona’s major events, including the comparsas contest, the murgas meeting, the main parade or the drag queen gala, could have overlapped with processions and religious celebrations. The image is striking: worshippers taking part in Easter Week services while murguero and comparsero groups prepare to perform just a few miles away.

To avoid that scenario, the local government led by Fátima Lemes, with the festivities department under David Gómez, has opted for an unprecedented solution: holding Carnival once Easter Week has finished. Arona Council’s events calendar supports the move, although the final programme still needs to be approved and presented.

What the new Carnival schedule could look like

If the same order of events as 2026 is kept for 2027, Carnival would begin on Thursday 1 April with the official presentation of the festival and the candidates for Infant Queen, Queen of the Elders and Carnival Queen. Friday 2 April would see the Comparsas Contest, while Saturday 3 would host the first Carnival de Día alongside the Anunciadora procession. Sunday 4 would be reserved for the Murgas Meeting. The programme would continue on Monday 5 with an exhibition dedicated to Carnival and the Choreographic Groups Festival. Tuesday 6 would be the turn of the Queen of the Elders Gala, while Wednesday 7 would see both the Inclusion Parade and the Infant Queen Gala. The Carnival Queen election would take place on Thursday 8, one of the key nights of the programme.

The final weekend would bring together the biggest events. Friday 9 would feature the Elders’ Dance, the Drag Queen Gala and late-night musical performances. Saturday 10 would host the second Carnival de Día, family activities, a DJ zone, a fancy dress contest, the Beach Route and an open-air dance. Sunday 11 April would bring the street celebrations to a close, starting with a classic and historic vehicle display and culminating in the afternoon with the Gran Coso Apoteosis, one of the best-attended events. Finally, Monday 12 would bring twelve days of festivities to an end with the Entierro de la Sardina and the subsequent Baile de la Viuda.

If confirmed, Arona would keep its usual format: groups and contests at the start, galas through the week and a strong finale with the Drag Gala, Carnival de Día, the main parade and the Sardine Burial. The real novelty, therefore, would not be in the structure but in the calendar: for the first time, the festival would take place entirely after Easter Week. The dates and events described are based on a simulation using the 2026 structure, pending confirmation from Arona Council.

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