Europe's biggest celebration: everything you need to know about Tenerife's great carnival

The Carnival of Tenerife held in February every year attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, who come to witness up close some of the most special/weird events in the world.

The street parades, the crazy costumes, the queen selection ceremony, the morgues and the burial of the sardines: all the details about the most special carnival in Europe

In partnership with Pegasus

06/10/2022

Thursday, 06 October 2022, 08:00 Updated: 13:08

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Tenerife Carnival (Photo: ShutterStock)

A Spanish island, a huge costume party, songs and dances, a festive and unusual ceremony and the burial of a giant sardine.

No, this is not the beginning of a joke or a scene taken from a science fiction movie, but one of the biggest and most special festivals in the world - the Carnival of Tenerife, which is considered the second largest and most important in the world after the famous Carnival of Rio de Janeiro.

There are quite a few reasons to visit Tenerife, the most populated island in the Canary Islands archipelago, such as the perfect weather, the breathtaking beaches, the lively nightlife, the excellent restaurants and the luxurious hotels, but it seems that the attraction of the island stands above them all - the Carnival of Tenerife, held in the capital Santa Cross every year on February 12-21.

The company Pegasus Organized Trips Abroad regularly organizes trips to the popular island, at various times of the year, including during Carnival of course.

Tenerife Carnival (Photo: ShutterStock)

Tenerife Carnival (Photo: ShutterStock)

Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world come to Tenerife to take part in one of the most colorful and special events in all of Europe, which includes a huge costume party, dance parties, street performances, processions and parades and more.

More information about an organized trip to Tenerife - Pegasus

The Queen Selection Ceremony The

beginning of the festivities kicks off a unique ceremony, during which the carnival queen is chosen from among dozens of candidates.

Candidates for the coveted title prepare for the position many months in advance;

They prepare the heavy costumes (some weigh about 200 kg) and conduct physical training so that they can withstand the load at the moment of truth.

Immediately after the selection of the queen, the hundreds of thousands of participants in the festival turn the capital of Santa Cruz into one big party, when visitors can choose between dance parties, Performances, street food stalls and more.

But besides the "normal" events that can be found in almost every carnival in the world, Tenerife's carnival, apart from the queen selection ceremony, has two more extraordinary events that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

The Murgas competition has been held every year since 1961 and is considered one of the most prominent events of the festival.

The morgue is actually a kind of band, consisting of several people who play basic musical instruments.

During the morgue competition, the bands perform in front of the audience with satirical and humorous songs written and composed by them, with the best morgue winning the competition and the honor of kings.

The second unique event is the sardine burial - which officially closes the festival.

This is one of the most surreal carnival celebrations that take place in the world, during which a giant sardine made of paper is buried, which symbolizes that the future can be born again, only with greater power.

The sardine is carried around the city by men dressed as priests and women dressed as widows, with everyone pretending to mourn the sardine.

The burial of the sardine ends with a breathtaking fireworks display.

Tenerife Carnival (Photo: ShutterStock)

In the food section, throughout the days of the carnival you will find dozens of street food stalls serving local and delicious foods, such as juicy churros served alongside hot chocolate, Spanish frittata, local pancakes, extremely crispy bread pudding, hot potatoes with various spices and even Ropa Vieja al Estilo Canario - Canary stew consisting of meat, hummus and vegetables.

So if you feel like diversifying your next trip to Europe, you should consider visiting one of the most special festivals in the whole world, for an extraordinary experience that will stay with you for life.

The article is sponsored by Pegasus Organized Trips Abroad - as part of its goal of promoting familiarity with world cultures and enriching knowledge

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