In La Isleta, celebrations are held every October to honour Our Lady of La Luz, patron of the Port and protector of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The festivities commemorate the island victory over the ill-fated attack by the British pirates Francis Drake and John Hawkins in October 1595. The festivities are celebrated this year between 6-23 October 2023. 

The victory against the British privateer Sir Francis Drake gave rise to the celebration of La Naval, making this event and its Pilgrimage “one of the oldest on the island and possibly in the Canary Islands”, and has been commemorated in the Hermitage of La Luz since at least 1600.

This weekend the main days of festivities:

Friday 13 October:
at 20:30 Papahuevos parade to announce the ‘Chapuzòn’-
Route: Plaza de La Luz-Pérez Muños-Anzofé-Benecharo-Tauro-Gordillo-Tecén-Taliarte-Faro-Prudencio Morales and Paseo de Las Canteras all the way to Real Club Victoria.
at 22:00 Chapuzón nocturno, (Plaza María Mérida) one of the main events of the celebrations will take place with the traditional nighttime dip on Las Canteras beach, which will be enlivened by the songs of the murga Los Melindrosos and will feature the participation of neighbours and authorities.
at 22:00 concert by Los Lola at Plaza Saulo Torón

Saturday 14 October: Feast Day 
at 10:00 Diana Floreada from Plaza de La Luz. Lively little street parade accompanied by a music band.
at 18:00 commemoration of the battle. The 94th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment will commemorate the Naval Battle that took place in 1595 when the Army and the residents defended the city from the attacks of the privateers Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins from the Castle of La Light.
at 18:30 transporting the “symbolic” flame from the Avenida Marítima to the temple.
at 20:00 the civic-religious procession of the image of Our Lady of La Luz sculpted by José Luján Pérez will run through the streets of the neighbourhood until its return to the church.
at 00:00 This day will end at midnight with the recovery, almost a century later, of the recreation of the battle of La Naval with flyers in old format by the El Pilar pyrotechnics of Benjamín Dávila and sons (calle Poeta Agustín Millares Sall)
at 00:30 concert by Cristina Ramos and La City Dock Band in the gardens of the Castillo de La Luz.

Events still to come:
Saturday 21 October:  at 18:00 Romería, the traditional pilgrimage offering of the Light, from Parque Santa Catalina to La Isleta. Late night fiesta with Leyenda Joven at 22:00 at the plaza 
Sunday 22 October: at 19:00 The procession of La Luz, and then with the spectacular fireworks display show when reaching the La Puntilla.
route: Pérez Muños->Juan Rejón->Albareda->Gomera-> Avda Las Canteras->La Naval-> Pérez Muños

The traditional festivities of Virgen del Pilar 2023 in Guanartemena (, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria between 4-15 October.
All festive events take place on Plaza del Pilar.

ON FRIDAY: 
at 19:30 2º Meeting of “Guanarteme es Danza” a dance exhibition from different dance schools and studios
at 23:00 Performance by The Duke’s Band, a homage to Abba & Queen

On SATURDAY: 
at 21:00 Drag Queen Gala El Pilar 2023, followed by a concert by Salvapantallas 

On SUNDAY: 
at 12:00 Lively street parade of Papaguevos (the big paper-mache dolls)
Route: Plaza del Pilar, Lepanto, Secretario Padilla, California, Avenida de las Canteras, Pavia Secretario Padilla, Lepanto, Plaza del Pilar
at 13:30 Concert by Los Lola
at 20:30 Miss Universe Canarias 2024 Gala 

Red Bull Dance Your Style is back!
The most enjoyable street dance battle in history in a one-on-one format, with music that breaks all the rules. From house to rock, from hip-hop to electro, and from Queen to Billie Eilish.

Where & When : Annex to Plaza de la Música on Saturday, starting at 20:00 

In the Dance Your Style 2023 Final that will be held on October 14 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the dancers will have to give their best to influence the audience, because you are the one who decides who wins the battle. The reward? A ticket to the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2023 World Final, which this year will be held in the city of Frankfurt on November 4.

MASDANZA, the 28th International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands is celebrated between 29 September – 28 October 2023. 

The #28MASDANZA once again brings contemporary dance closer to audiences in the Canary Islands and continues to be a launching platform for local, national, and international creators.

Free entry until capacity is reached.

Friday 13 October/ Castillo de Mata / at 20:00

In an exhibition of the versatility of spaces and the possibilities of coexistence with dance, MASDANZA occupies the corners of the fortress with five pieces from different points.

Program: 

FLORES NEGRAS (12’) (Black Flowers) Lanzarote (Islas Canarias), Spain
ROOTS (10’) Milán, Italia
SINGLE (13’) Blanes (Cataluña), Spain
SOPAN (10’32’’) Singapore
SAUDADE DE TI (13’) Berlín, Germany

Festivities in honour of San Rafael, the Archangel in Vecindario, in the municipality of Santa Lucía de Tirjana, start this Saturday and will go on until 29 October. This is a festival to celebrate the city, tradition, and culture. There is also a large funfair set up for the duration of the festivities.

On Saturday, October 14, a tour of the Avenida de Canarias with music bands and the reading of the proclamation. The program prepared by the Cultural, Sports and Recreational Association ‘El Zagüán’ with the collaboration of the City Council, has activities as varied as senior parties, afternoons dedicated to children, concerts, festivals, urban music festival, Melomana concerts or the K-Narias, the humour of Abubukaka and the pilgrimage that will be on Saturday, October 28.

This weekend:

Saturday 14 October:
at 18:30 Prayer of the Saint Rosary beads.
at 19:00 Celebration of the Eucharist.
at 19:30 Opening of the Patronal festivities to San Raphael Archangel with a tour along the Avenida Canarias accompanied by the music bands Maspalomas ‘Sun and Sand’ and ‘Serafín Zubiri, Mogán Big Band’, from Mogán.
at 19:45 the exit of the Saint to the portico, Raising of the flag, and the traditional ringing of bells announcing the festivities patron saints to San Rafael Archangel on the facade of the parish church.
Next, the performance of the Municipal Band of Music from the Village of Agüimes and the reading of the proclamation of the festivities that this year will posthumously pay tribute to Pedro Henríquez, Local Police of Santa Lucía de Tirajana. The opening event ends with a performance by the host band, Association Cultural ‘Sol y Viento’, from Vecindario. (Plaza San Rafael)

at 21:30 Tribute concert to March Anthony in the fairground
at 23:00 Tamarindos La Mecánica by Tamarindos and Acuarela in the fairground

Sunday 15 October: 
From 11:00 to 14:00 – ‘Muestra de Identidad’ Identity Show in the pedestrian area of Avenida de Canarias. During the morning there will be a display of different sports, traditional games and others. XXXII Gran Canaria Island Drag Competition trophy.

• Sample of shearing and milking of cattle/livestock.
• Threshing exhibition with larger cattle.
• “Yo Silbo” cultural association.
• La Revolia Club Game.
• Stone lifting,
• Santa Lucía de Tirajana Traditional Games School.
• Canarian Latin

at 16:00 HOLI party energised and enlivened by DJ PROMASTER in the Fairgrounds

at 21:00  Chirimurga “El Barrio” in the Fairgrounds

As has been the tradition in recent years, the zanga tournament opened last Monday the week of activities planned for the festivities in honour of the Virgen de la Luz, in the Los Espinales neighbourhood in Arinaga in the municipality of Agüimes. The festive events will last until this Sunday and will take place in the social premises and in the neighbourhood square.

On Friday:
at 20:00 Romería, the pilgrimage in honour of the Virgin of Light

On Saturday:
at 21:00 the square will host the ‘Gran Gala Espinales 2023’.

On Sunday, the last day of the festivities:
at 10:00 an exhibition of classic vintage and rally cars in the vicinity of the square.
at 14:00 the popular paella will begin, which you can participate in for €2, a modest price that also includes bread and soft drinks.
at 15:00 the Solajero Festival, which will be entertained by the Ábora Group and its Bandurria.

The Los Espinales festivities are celebrated by its neighbours as an opportunity to remember the past of this unique enclave, one of the historic towns of the old Arinaga plains. With an eminently agricultural past and once known as Llanos Prietos, the neighbourhood of Los Espinales has undergone a profound transformation in recent decades, in line with the economic and urban development experienced by the entire municipality of Agüimes.

There is no better time to visit a town on Gran Canaria, when there is something special happening.

THE AIR FORCE CIVIL PLEDGE OF THE FLAG – LA JURA DE BANDERA ON SATURDAY 14 OCTOBER

The Canary Islands Air Command (MACAN) will hold its first Flag Pledge in the municipality for civilian personnel this Saturday, 14 October at 18:00 in the Plaza del Pino.

Around 150 people have registered to swear the flag in this event, which the Canary Islands Air Command is organizing for the first time in Teror.
The sworn candidates are summoned on the same Saturday at 17:00 in the Plaza del Pino, to carry out a brief prior rehearsal

TEROR WEEKLY MARKET, SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER

The surroundings of the Basilica del Pino are transformed every Sunday with the presence of the Mercadillo de Teror, one of the oldest street markets on the island with two centuries of history. The social impact of the cult of the Virgen del Pino has turned the Market throughout its history into a meeting point for thousands of people who come from all over to sell and buy, typical products of the area, such as chorizos, blood sausages, sweets, cheeses and bread, to others of a religious, textile, crafts, etc. type.

The Teror municipal market will be livened up on Sunday, October 15, the date on which the International Day of Rural Women is commemorated, with live music from the women’s group ‘Mariandá’, which will perform in the tent in the Plaza de Sintes from 11:00 to 12:00. Simultaneously, a free Monarch butterfly workshop will be offered from the Teror Market, with the planting of seeds of the Asclepias plant and a brief explanation of the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly, care and maintenance, by Isaac Reyes, from the Butterfly Garden

🎶 🎶 The group ‘Mariandá’, founded in 2009 in Maspalomas (San Bartolomé de Tirajana) will be in charge of animating this Sunday the music and dance program of the Teror Market, which will run fortnightly until December, with the next appointment on 28 October. The Marianda group, made up of 15 women from the south of Gran Canaria, offers their performance until 12:00, with a repertoire of covered songs.

🐛🦋 In the Monarch Butterflies family workshop, the participants will plant 150 Asclepias seeds, while at the same time, explanations will be offered about their care and the development of the larvae and monarch butterflies. The workshop is aimed at all audiences and can be shared as a family.

The main shopping centre in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Arenas and Bloom Market come together to celebrate a market for design and emerging Canarian brands, where you can enjoy the best fashion, crafts, music and art with a Canarian footprint.

From Thursday to Sunday, 12-15 October 2023 in Plaza Terraza. Opening hours: 11:00-21:00 

Fashion, accessories, art, music, artisans, workshops, raffles and much more

This ‘Mercado Agrícola de Arucas’ market takes place every fortnight in the facilities of the Cabildo’s Experimental Agricultural Farm, located just off the exit to Arucas from the GC-2, on the north coast of Gran Canaria.

Click here to the map location.

The market comprises some 65 exhibitors (farmers and ranchers) who market their products directly to the consumer, with the aim of lowering the costs.

From 09:00-13:30.

“Perfect time to enjoy the lovely natural pools and coast in the North of Gran Canaria” 

• Friday is always market day in Playa de Mogán in the morning. This popular market is in one of the prettiest fishing harbour towns on Gran Canaria, very popular with tourists.

• On Saturday, the Maspalomas market offers all kinds of textiles, Objet d‘art and other articles, located now in a new venue at Parque Europeo in Playa del Inglés, while the municipal market is being re-built. It is one of the markets most enjoyed among visitors along with Friday’s in Playa de Mogán;
El Mercadillo de Maspalomas is on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 08:00 to 14:00.

• On Saturday in Arguineguín, a small second-hand market on Plaza Negra (the marketplace) in the morning 09:00-14:00 with a wide range pre-loved treasures.

• On Sunday, the “rastro” second-hand market, ****The second-hand market now takes place in the Ciudad deportiva de Maspalomas, next to football field 2 and close to Pepe Chiringo and Parque Sur de Maspalomas.

• This Sunday, the very popular biweekly farmers’ Market, ‘Mercado Agrícola y ganadero de San Fernando‘ will be held in the parking area next to the football Stadium and the municipal offices from 08:00 – 14:00. A chance to purchase fresh, locally-grown food and value-added produce directly from growers or producers —  an authentic retail experience.

The biggest show in the world of bodyboarding, the Gran Canaria Frontón King 12-28 October 2023 in Gáldar. 128 athletes from 19 countries will once again compete in the Bodyboard World Championship at Frontón King 2023, the most anticipated event of the year.

In its eleventh edition, the benchmark event on the international scene of professional bodyboarding and belonging to the IBC Bodyboarding World Tour lands on Gran Canaria to crown the world champions in the Men and Pro Junior Men categories. From October 12 to 27, all fans and lovers of waves have a must-see date to enjoy the most radical maneuvers on a bodyboard.

This edition will once again feature the best riders on the planet, guaranteeing an unparalleled show in one of the best waves in the world for bodyboarding, El Frontón. The Gran Canaria Frontón King 2023 closes the IBC Bodyboarding World Tour calendar again with the excitement of meeting the world champions in the Men and Pro Junior Men categories. In the men’s category, riders Tanner McDaniels from Hawaii and Frenchman Pierre Louis Costes arrive on Gran Canaria as the only candidates for the world winding. In Pro Junior Men, the Canarian Jorge Hernández, current world champion of the category, must defend his title against the Peruvian Maycol Yancce who arrives again in Gáldar to fight for the crown of the best youth player in international bodyboarding. The foreign participation will be joined by the most established local riders in the El Frontón wave, such as Jonathan Vega, Dailos Rodríguez and Aitor Ojeda, among others.

The Gran Canaria Frontón King maintains its extensive deployment in terms of dissemination, with live streaming that for the first time will have a live aquatic camera, daily summaries and all the information and news that can be followed on its official channels and social networks. The competition is also accompanied by a varied recreational offer with restaurant areas, markets, concerts and its closing, with a great final party on October 28 at the event facilities. Another edition that will once again reward the most spectacular aerial maneuver of the championship with the Red Bull Banana Challenge. The Gran Canaria Frontón King Pro 2023 belongs to the IBC Bodyboarding World Tour.

This year, in addition to the exciting bodyboard competitions, there is also music to enjoy, from local artists to international guests. 🎵

It is going to be a busy weekend in Agaete with the 6th edition of Sky Gran Canaria 2023 held between 13-15 October.

This weekend Agaete will become the headquarters of the world’s elite in mountain sports, as the host municipality of Sky Gran Canaria, which this year for the first time is integrated into the World Cup to crown the best in the town.

The sixth edition of this race has about 500 runners of different nationalities, who will face a test with four competition distances, with Agaete as the starting and finishing point in three of the distances. Its landscapes, a unique orography, and the natural trails of the municipality will be the scene of this international competition, which discovers the most surprising Agaete through sport.

This year, Sky Gran Canaria hosts the World Cup Finalissima of the international circuit of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), endorsed by World Athletics (WA). Likewise, the SKY TAA50 will host the Canary Islands Ultra Trail Championship of the Canarian Athletics Federation.

The race runs across the island of Gran Canaria, arriving at Puerto de Las Nieves in two of its distances, the SKY AA21, which leaves from Artenara, and the SKY TAA50, which starts in Tunte. The new SKY TPT35 distance will have its departure and arrival in Tunte, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and the SKY A6 vertical distance, which will fill the Plaza de la Constitución with excitement to kick off a route that will take the runners to reach the Raven Fountain.

The competitors will have to give their best in their ascent to the highest point on the island of Gran Canaria, the Pico de las Nieves with its 1,954 meters of altitude, crossing the largest dams on the island and covering a large part of the municipalities of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Artenara, Tejeda, Guía, Vega de San Mateo, Valleseco and Agaete, the host municipality of the event, which will host the international athletes.

The Sky Gran Canaria brings to Agaete three days of the purest trail running, with the world’s top men and women competing in each of the distances, in which they will fight to place or remain in the ranking of the ten best in the world.

Among the international athletes, Patrick Kipngeno, Philemon Kiriago, Remi Leroux, Andrea Rostan, among others in the ranking, stand out, while in the women’s category, Joyce Njeru, Philaries Kisang, Luci Murigi, Scout Adkin, among others, will compete on the island.

Sky Gran Canaria has caught the attention of foreign, non-resident athletes, and has entries from twenty-one nationalities, such as Germany, Argentina, Canada, Chile, USA, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uruguay, as well as national participants, with representation from Alicante, Almería, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Burgos, Cádiz, Cantabria, Granada, Lleida, Madrid, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas, among other provinces.

Program:

On Friday, 13 October: AGAETE / Route: Plaza de la Constitución in Agaete to Fuente del Cuervo
-VERTICAL SKY OPEN
-FINALISSIMA COPA DEL MUNDO MODALIDAD VERTICAL 6 Km.
at 17:00 – Departure of the first runner
at 18:15 – last departure
at 20:15 – finish line closes

On Saturday, 14 October: TUNTE / Route: Tunte – Pico de Las Nieves – Roque Nublo – Cruz Grande – Tunte
-SKY TPT35 OPEN
-FINAL WORLD CUP LONG DISTANCE MODALITY 35 Km.
at 10:00  – Departure
at 14:00 -Arrival of the first runners
at 14:30 – awards ceremony
at 17:00 – finish line closes

On Sunday, 15 October: TUNTE & ARTENARA 
-TRAILSKY TAA50 OPEN
-CANARY ISLANDS CHAMPIONSHIP ULTRA TRAIL RUNNING DISTANCE 50 Km.
Route: Tunte – Degollada Cruz Grande – Pico de Las Nieves – Pozo de Las Nieves – Llanos de la Pez – Cruz de Tejeda – Moriscos – Artenara – Tamadaba – Agaete – Puerto de Las Nieves.

-MINISKY AA21 OPEN
-FINAL WORLD CUP CLASSIC MODALITY 21 Km.
Route: Artenara – Tamadaba – Agaete – Puerto de Las Nieves

at 8:00 – Departure of the TRAILSKY TAA50
at 9:30 – Start of the VALSIRMOUNTAIN RUNNING CLASSIC WORLD CUP SKY AA21, FINALISSIMA AND OPEN.
at 11:15 – Arrival of the first runners of the FINALISSIMAVALSIRMOUNTAIN RUNNING CLASSIC WORLD CUP.
at 12:55  – Arrival of the first participants of the TRAILSKY TAA50.
at 13:00  Awards Ceremony
at 15:00 – Closing of the MINISKY AA21 Finish Line.
at 15:30 – Awards Ceremony of the OPEN modality of the Absolute category, male and female, of the SKY TPT35, TRAIL SKY TAA50, MINI SKYAA21 and VERTICAL SKY.
at 17:00 – Awards Ceremony and Closing Ceremony of the VALSIR MOUNTAIN RUNNING WORLD CUP 2023 – FINALISSIMA.
at 18:00 – The finish line of the TRAILSKY TAA50.