The Sound Hits You Before the Colour Does
You hear the carnival before you see it. Somewhere between the airport shuttle and the hotel lobby, a bass line finds you — heavy, percussive, bouncing off apartment blocks in a way that makes the windows rattle slightly. It’s a Tuesday afternoon in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and the city is already warming up. The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife runs from February 12 to February 25, 2026, two full weeks, though honestly the energy starts leaking out a few days before the official opening.
Rio gets the global fame. Tenerife gets the ‘world’s second-largest carnival’ label, which locals seem to accept with a kind of competitive pride — they’ll tell you it’s been officially recognised by some, and the comparison to Rio comes up constantly. Whether the ranking holds up to scrutiny probably depends on how you measure these things. What’s not debatable is the scale: tens of thousands of people in the streets, costumes that took months to build, and a two-week schedule packed enough that you genuinely can’t see everything even if you tried.
The Queen Gala Is the One You Don’t Skip
The Gala for the Election of the Carnival Queen is the event people plan their trips around, and for good reason. Contestants wear costumes that can weigh over 100 kilograms — enormous constructions of feathers, wire, fabric, and sheer ambition that look more like parade floats worn by a single person. The logistics of walking in one of these things, let alone performing choreography, is something I still can’t fully wrap my head around.
The gala takes place at the Recinto Ferial, and tickets sell out. Not ‘sell out eventually’ — they go fast. If the Queen Gala matters to you, sort tickets as soon as they’re announced. The event runs late, well past midnight, and the energy in the crowd builds in waves. There are musical performances between the costume presentations, and the whole production has a theatrical quality that sits somewhere between the Oscars and a very ambitious community theatre show. I mean that as a compliment.
The contestants’ costumes are genuinely jaw-dropping. Each one has a creative team behind it, and there’s real rivalry between the different comparsas (carnival groups) sponsoring candidates. The winner’s costume often ends up in local news across Spain.
The Coso and the Street Chaos In Between
The Grand Parade — the Coso — is the big public event. Thousands of performers, floats, samba schools, and murgas (satirical musical groups that perform original songs poking fun at politicians and pop culture) fill the streets from Avenida de Anaga toward Plaza de España. It’s loud, colourful, and goes on for hours.
But the stuff between the official events is arguably better. Every night during carnival, the streets around the old town turn into an open-air party. Sound stages on multiple plazas, each with different music. People in full costume buying kebabs at 3 AM. The murgas performing in small plazas where you can actually hear the lyrics — which are often genuinely funny if you understand Spanish, or at least entertainingly dramatic if you don’t.
One thing worth knowing: the Burial of the Sardine (Entierro de la Sardina) closes the festival. It’s a mock funeral procession for a giant papier-mâché sardine, and it’s exactly as weird and wonderful as it sounds. People dress in black, wail theatrically, and follow the sardine through the streets before it’s ceremonially burned. It’s supposed to mark the end of excess before Lent, though the crowd’s mood suggests they’re not quite done with excess yet.
Getting There Without Overthinking It
Tenerife has two airports. Tenerife North (TFN) is closer to Santa Cruz — maybe 15 minutes by taxi. Tenerife South (TFS) gets more international flights, especially budget carriers, but it’s a solid hour to Santa Cruz by bus or car. If you can route through TFN, do it.
From mainland Spain, there are direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. From elsewhere in Europe, most connections go through one of those hubs or land at TFS. During carnival season, flight prices to Tenerife spike — not outrageously, but noticeably. Booking a month or more ahead helps.
If you’re looking at flights, CheapOAir and SmartFares sometimes have decent deals on European routes, though availability changes fast around carnival dates. Worth checking a few aggregators rather than committing to the first price you see.
Once in Santa Cruz, the tram connects the city centre to La Laguna (the university town nearby, also worth a day trip). Local buses — called guaguas — cover most routes. Taxis are reasonable. You won’t need a car unless you’re planning to explore the rest of the island, which, honestly, you probably should. Teide National Park is right there.
Where to Sleep (Book Early, Seriously)
Accommodation during carnival is tight. Hotels near Plaza de España and along Calle del Castillo fill up weeks in advance. The further from the centre you book, the cheaper it gets, but you’ll be relying on taxis or the tram for late-night returns — and during carnival, the tram gets packed.
Apartment rentals are popular and often better value for groups. Look for places in the Barrio de los Hoteles area or near the Rambla de Santa Cruz, which puts you within walking distance of most events.
A practical note: if you’re booking accommodation, Trip.com usually has a reasonable selection for Tenerife including some of the apartment-style options. I’d also check the usual suspects. During carnival, flexibility on dates helps — arriving mid-week rather than the weekend before can save you a surprising amount.
The Stuff That Could Go Wrong
Let’s be honest about a few things. The crowds are real. If you don’t like being squeezed into streets with thousands of costumed, slightly drunk people until 4 AM, the main parade nights will test your patience. The sound systems are loud — actually loud, not ‘festival loud’. Earplugs aren’t a bad idea if you’re sensitive to that.
Pickpocketing happens, same as any large European street festival. Keep your phone in a front pocket, leave the nice camera at the hotel if you’re going into the thick of the crowd. Nothing catastrophic, just the usual precautions.
Weather is generally fine — February in Tenerife means 18–22°C during the day, dropping to maybe 14–15°C at night. But the wind can pick up, and if you’re wearing a costume that’s mostly body paint and feathers, you’ll notice. Bring a layer you can stuff in a bag.
Also: the closing ceremony sardine burning involves fire and a lot of smoke. Asthmatic travellers might want to watch from upwind.
The Carnival Beyond the Carnival
If you’ve come all the way to Tenerife, it would be a waste to only see Santa Cruz. The island has one of the most dramatic landscapes in Europe — Teide, Spain’s highest peak, sits in the middle of a volcanic caldera that looks like another planet. You can drive up or take the cable car.
La Laguna, the old colonial capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with colourful buildings and good restaurants. The north coast has black sand beaches and banana plantations. The south coast has the resort beaches and year-round sunshine.
For day trips and activities outside the carnival, GetYourGuide has Teide tours and whale watching trips off the coast. KLOOK also lists some Tenerife experiences, though the selection for the Canaries is smaller than for Asian destinations — they seem to be growing their European coverage. If you’re renting a car, Europcar has a presence at both airports.
After the Sardine Burns
The morning after the Burial of the Sardine, Santa Cruz is quieter than you’ve heard it all week. Street cleaners are out early. There’s confetti in the gutters and a faint smell of gunpowder from the fireworks. The cafés along the Rambla open like nothing happened, and the waiter brings your cortado without commenting on the glitter still stuck to your forehead.
