We all know that carnival on Tenerife means madness, mayhem and over the top parades. But  the carnivals that take place outside of Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Gigantes and Los Cristianos rarely make it onto visitors’ radar. And yet it’s at these where you can find some of the most unusual ways to celebrate carnival.

Each year Güímar produces one of the most stylish and sexy carnival posters on Tenerife and 2012 is no exception. The poster by Luis Marrero, titled The Transformation, illustrates one of the town’s main celebrations, Las Burras de Güímar.

Mysticism and Güímar, the home of the much debated pyramids, are no strangers. Neither is superstition or tales of witchcraft. So a carnival street event involving satanic dances, witches who transform themselves into donkeys to cause mischief and destroy farmers’ crops and a full on battle between the forces of good and evil seems quite an appropriate way for the young people of the town to let their hair down and have a bit of fun.

Las Burras de Güímar has become one of the highlights of Güímar’s carnival, growing in popularity each year since the first witches took to the street in 1992.

The question in some people’s minds will be ‘do the witches actually ‘dress up’ like the one on the poster?’

You’ll have to go along to Plaza de San Pedro Apóstol de Güímar at 9pm on Friday 24th February to find out for yourself.

Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg

Plot: Quiff-haired, fresh-faced reporter Tintin accompanied by trusty, super smart terrier Snowy and grizzled, boozy sea dog Captain Archibald Haddock become embroiled in an adventure packed quest searching for a lost family fortune.

TM Rating: Some people are obsessive about the ginger roving reporter and are bound to treat any film adaptation as blasphemy no matter how good or bad it actually is – you just can’t please all of the people all of the time. But expectations are different for  those of us for whom ‘Hergés Adventures of Tintin’ signified the promise of excitement and adventure that came with waking up on a Saturday morning. What we want is for The Adventures of Tintin to be a rollicking adventure full of frantic fun that captures some of that carefree joie de vivre of innocent youth.

With Steven Spielberg directing and Peter Jackson producing that’s exactly what you get with The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

The film looks absolutely gorgeous and brings Tintin and his mates (and enemies) to glorious CG life. Jamie Bell plays the role perfectly as the likeable but slightly bland Tintin whilst Andy Serkis has great fun with Captain Haddock, making him the star of the movie…but only just. Snowy comes a close second and will capture the hearts of all the children in the audience.

The plot, involving aspects of three Tintin stories, races along at a relentless pace as Tintin, Haddock and Snowy’s quest take them to exquisite looking locations that evoke a golden age of travel and adventure.

It might not please everyone, but The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a cinematic joy for children and adults with adventure in their souls.

9/10 – This is simply Tintin for carefree adventurers, not for those who’d have him as an arty icon. Sit back and lap it up – it’s Saturday morning again.

Screening Times: 4pm daily

Tickets: €6.50 Buy Your Tickets Here

In their faces and demanding a reaction, the street sculptures of José Abad took their place in the shopping heart of Santa Cruz. Bargain hunters stood and scratched their heads, children prodded and poked them and even dogs were wary of offering them an impromptu shower. This was just the advance party for an invasion of 400 works of art by a La Laguna artist who at 69 years old has unleashed his intricate genius on his own doorstep.

Eros, Formas Y Azar (sexual behaviour, form and change) is the provocative title of a lifetime’s collection being displayed until 28 January at two galleries in Santa Cruz and one in La Laguna. At first glance the sculptures in front of Plaza del Principe look like they have been there for years, the iron used in Josés’s work gives it that stark weather beaten look making it more approachable than a bright shiny new addition. The sexual symbolism in one of the more striking pieces caused people to do a double take, all part of the intended effect.

Intrigued I made the short move into the Espacio Cultural Caja Canarias, the bank’s Obra Social division are supporting the season as they do with many arts projects. The smaller works were no less impressive, and spread over the two floors of the display area the sheer scale of the artists work became apparent. Roughly split into subject zones, the work ranges from building designs through animal studies like Gatos Enfrentados (below) and even a few traditional portraits. Unlike previous exhibitions this one overflows into the downstairs large high ceiling display room where African and baroque works are big, bold and carved in wood in painstaking detail like Retablo de San Blas.

Back upstairs a video room shows an interview with the artist unlocking some of his inspirations. José Abad embraced all the arts including poetry, theatre, and painting but it was sculpture that captured his imagination  and led him to study in Perugia, Italy and Madrid before exhibiting his work across mainland Spain. José pioneered outdoor sculpture in Santa Cruz, Las Palmas, Malaga and Cadiz and there are several trails of work in the Tenerife capital.

Suitably impressed by the first indoor display I thought I would see what the Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes could add to the mix. The pink rooms of the gallery behind Plaza Principe made a contrasting backdrop to the smaller close up earlier works from the mid 1960’s. José’s eye for detail and the odd surprising twist were again in evidence but base materials like wood and metal were once again his starting point for expression.The Sala de Arte Juan Cas in La Laguna completes the gallery based collection and wasn’t joining in the exhibition until a week later but it contains the most up to date works, much of it untitled, and a selection of written charts.

Sculptures with a subdued industrial look hardly sound exciting but José Abad adds plenty of mischief and humour to his work and they are all visually stimulating. Maybe taking them all in at once could lead to artistic indigestion but they are here for a few months so dip in and learn a bit more about a home grown Tenerife talent.

FACT FILE

José Abad – Eros, Formas Y Azar   17 October to 28 January 2012

 Espacio Cultural Caja Canarias, Plaza del Patriotismo, Santa Cruz

Monday to Wednesday 11 to 1 pm, and 5 to 9pm

Thursday and Friday  11 to 1pm, and 5 to 8pm

Saturday 11 to 2pm, and 5 to 8pm

Entry  Caja Canarias clients free, residents 2 euros, others 5 euros

Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes, Calle Jose Murphy, Santa Cruz

Tuesday to Friday  10 to 8 pm

Saturday & Sundays  10 to 3 pm

Closed Mondays

Entry Free

Sala de Arte Juan Cas

Plaza de la Concepcion, La Laguna

Monday to Friday  11 to 1pm and 5 to 9pm

Saturday  11 to 2pm and 5 to 8pm

Entry Free

Perched at the top of the Acantilados de La Culata, the 16th century settlement of El Tanque took its name from the large water tank which fed the farming needs of Garachico on the coast far below. A community began to grow around the tank and they worked the fertile land to produce cereals and grain which provided them with a living and a rural idyll… until the fateful 1706 eruption.

Destroying the crops of El Tanque en route to Garachico’s demise, the eruption left a trail of barren wasteland where once fields of golden corn had reflected the sun. Poverty ensued and the Tanqueros departed in their droves, immigrating to South America in search of a living. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that they returned and used their acquired wealth to reclaim the lands and recreate and preserve the traditions of their forefathers.

Today those traditions are a treasured part of everyday life in El Tanque where high summer means two things – thermometers are turning red and it’s time to gather in the wheat.

Día de La Trilla begins early on Friday morning when the farmers take to the fields with their traditional hand held scythes. Gathering, cutting and bundling the long straws of gold, it’s back-breaking, hot and dusty work under the relentless sun of an El Tanque summer. When the last bales of wheat have finally been transferred to the era (threshing circle), folklore bands strike up their song and the kegs are opened. Tomorrow the wheat will be threshed, but for now, it’s time to celebrate the harvest with friends and neighbours.

Now in its 16th year, Día de La Trilla attracts farmers and neighbours by the (literally) truckload to the site of the Eco Museum in the hills above the village of El Tanque to watch the wheat being threshed traditionally. As every year, it’s a hot and windy day for the fiesta and despite being damped down with hoses, the ground wants to join in the fun, sending swirling plumes of dust to parch already dry throats and colour bare feet a rusty shade of brown.

At the gate a religious painting is being raffled and a few feet further on, the same fate awaits a live pig on the back of a truck. It’s the perfect analogy for El Tanque where farming and religion go hand in hand.

First in the row of stalls is the straw hat vendor who’s doing brisk business and whose products can be seen at regular intervals sailing over the heads of horses and oxen before coming to rest in the straw or escaping into the distant hills. A handful of stallholders are selling honey, miniature carvings, musical instruments, farm implements and clothing but as tradition dictates, it’s the bar that’s doing the best business.

Beyond the era, several stalls are occupied by the Taller Empleo Recupera group who create and conserve the parks, gardens and greenery of El Tanque. Using only ecological methods to create their gardens, they’re giving away free plants to encourage and educate others to do likewise.

When the folklore groups take their bow, it’s time for the horses to take to the ring. Tethered in teams they canter through the stacked wheat, their hooves breaking the straws down as they go. Clockwise and counter clockwise they’re driven by their handler, the sweat glistening on their necks until it’s time to tag the next team and to pitchfork more bales into the circle.

When the mountains of straw are finally laid flat by the horses, it’s time to tether the oxen. Two by two the placid beasts of burden are led by the nose into the era and harnessed to a thrashing board. Adding weight to the board and claiming a mini fairground ride are hordes of local children who ride the boards as they’re pulled around the circle, breaking the wheat down to a size that’s small enough to flail and winnow.

As the sound of the children’s laughter carries on the wind, locally grown potatoes are being boiled and fish from the coast is being fried for the traditional meal that will follow the threshing and signify the end to another Día de La Trilla. Accompanied by home made saffron mojo and gofio amasado and washed down with red wine from the area’s own vineyards, it’s easy to taste why keeping their traditional farming methods alive is so important to the Tanqueros and why they’ll continue to make hay while the sun shines.

Celebrities on Holiday in Tenerife

Kerry Katona, winner of the UK reality show I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here! in 2004 and lead singer of the former group Atomic Kitten visited Tenerife in 2009. She visited the island with two of her children, and the photos taken reveal the great time they had at one of the many resorts on the island.

Famous Celebrity Concerts in Tenerife

The Sun Live Festival held every summer in Tenerife always features a concert by a famous musical artist. More than 15,000 tourists and locals have shown up to see world famous crooners like Rod Stewart, Elton John and Simply Red. It has now been announced that in July of 2011, soft rock singer Michael Bolton will be featured act at this year’s big concert. No doubt, Michael will greatly enjoy the beautiful climate and beaches before and after his big show.

Many residents of Tenerife still remember the large concert held in 1993, where Michael Jackson visited during his Dangerous tour. More than 45,000 attended this record setting concert in Tenerife. Jackson enjoyed his stay at the island with several of his family members.

Movies Filmed in Tenerife

In 2009, part of the motion picture The Clash of the Titans was filmed in Tenerife. This popular movie starring Liam Neeson, Mads Milkeson, Sam Worthington and Ralph Fiennes features the beautiful scenery in Tenerife as its backdrop.

In February of 2011, it was announced that the sequel to Clash of the Titans will also be filmed in Tenerife. It is estimated that this production will put at least 5 million Euros into Tenerife’s economy.

Flying to Tenerife

As we have seen, Tenerife has attracted many celebrities to the island. So why not make it your next holiday destination? Many great deals on flights to Tenerife are available from major cities in the UK.

Located just 11 kilometres north of Santa Cruz is the Tenerife North Airport. This airport handled over 4,000,000 passengers in 2010. Over 1,000,000 passengers have flown in on cheap flights from Spain each year.

The Tenerife South Airport is a bit larger than the North Airport. It handled over 7,000,000 passengers in 2010. Flights from Germany, Finland, Spain and many other countries offer direct on a daily basis into Tenerife. It is especially busy during December to February, which is the peak tourist season in Tenerife. Travel deals can also be found even in peak season.

Guest post by Sergio Manuel Da Silva Santos. Sergio writes articles about travel destinations around the world.

It’s June 1936. Francisco Franco is Governor General of the Canary Islands and is in La Orotava watching the Corpus Christi procession as it passes over the floral works of art.

Well known as a dissenter, Franco has been posted to the furthest and quietest outreach of Spanish governance to keep him out of harm’s way. If only they’d known then that most powerful of idioms – keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. The authorities are expecting trouble, there have been whispers of an assassination attempt and the Guardia have a heavy presence, their cars parked beneath the magnolia frontage of Casas de Los Balcones. In the event, the procession passes quietly without incident.

Fast forward 75 years and on the 30th June 2011, the alfombristas of La Orotava will unveil the 106th carpet to be constructed in the Plaza Ayuntamiento (Town Hall Square). During its existence this most fragrant of Canary Islands traditions has seen some important feet passing over its cobbled streets, not least those of the Corpus Christi procession to whom it owes its existence.

Rolling out the carpet
The feast of Corpus Christi had already been celebrated for over 300 years in Tenerife, predominantly in La Laguna where the day was marked by theatre, dancing and traditional games as well as pious acts, before the first petals were ever laid in La Orotava. The honour of being the first is attributed to Leonor de Castillo Monteverde who, in 1847, thought it would be a nice idea to decorate the road outside her home for the Corpus Christi procession to walk over. So successful was Leonor’s idea that the practice quickly spread to other parts of the island and her descendants still complete that section of road outside her home today.

In their 164 year history the La Orotava flower carpets have only twice been suspended, once in 1891 and again in 1897. Last year, despite the persistent rain that marred the whole proceedings, the people still turned out to make their flower carpets and to ensure that their 120 year unbroken record still stands.

The La Orotava Town Hall tapestry
Despite the popularity of decorating La Orotava’s streets for the procession, it was to be almost 70 years after Leonor’s radical gesture before the Plaza Ayuntamiento stained its face in the name of religious devotion.

The Corpus Christi procession began passing through the Town Hall plaza in 1913 but it wasn’t until 1919 when Felipe Machado and Benítez de Lugo took it upon themselves to carpet the square in flowers and vegetation that the tapestry tradition began. Before then, the only time the square had seen decoration was in 1905 when a floral carpet tribute had been laid to honour the Spanish Navy ensign.

On the 21st May 2011, work began on this year’s tapestry, the theme of which is the 26th World Youth Day which will once again bring the Pope to Spain. This year’s design will use 21 different colours to create 20 individual tapestries as a nod to the 20 years that this particular group of alfombristas have been the creators of the carpets and the latest generation of artists to continue the ethereal tradition that has characterised the town for so long.

The La Orotava Corpus Christi flower carpets take place on 30th June 2011.

Swans are majestic and serene on the surface but frantically paddling below the water, hardly the case with Tony Mercer, Artistic Director for Swan Lake On Ice. Just a few hours before the opening show in Santa Cruz he looked calm and relaxed as he drew on his cigar and blew smoke out to the Atlantic below the concourse of the Adan Martin Auditorium. As four of his cast emerged to grab some sunshine he pointed them out to me; “ah here come my children”.

The Imperial Ice Stars are like a big family, 25 world class skaters with a haul of 250 competition medals and a dedicated technical team of set builders, designers, and ice engineers. Tony hand picks new cast from his Moscow base “before we started this two year tour I looked at 50 possibles but only chose two to join us”.

Growing up in Salford, Manchester, Tony was already juggling his options “I loved sport and drama, I was playing football as a goalkeeper for Droylsdon in the Northern Premier League and one of my Manchester United heroes, Alex Stepney was my coach. My school drama teacher had encouraged me to move into the directing side and I was enjoying working on local productions but then I broke my leg at football.”

The 9 month recovery changed the course of Tony’s life.

“Football was finished for me and luckily I was offered a job with Playlight Lighting Company that was desk based at first. Those were great times working with musical heroes like The Three Degrees, Harold Melvin, The Supremes, Elkie Brooks, Jack Jones, I even got to do the lighting for the Popes visit to Heaton Park in Manchester“.

Teaming up with award winning Russian choreographer Tatiana Tarasova, Tony formed Wild Rose Ice Theatre and took Sleeping Beauty on the road with the aim of taking arena shows onto stage settings but it was difficult to hit the balance that would please fans from both sides of the artistic fence.

So Tony and James Cundall founded The Imperial Ice Stars with an initial four month run for Sleeping Beauty but calls from venues like the Lyric Theatre in Sydney stretched the run to 18 months, now the company tours for 40 weeks a year. It’s not always smooth running, last year’s volcanic ash cloud stranded Tony in Bulgaria: “The show was on in Montreal so I ended up overseeing the rehearsals on Skype”. The sheer logistics of the shows are staggering; the Tenerife show meant 140 hours laying the ice pad and another 30 to demolish it later.

Sounds like hard work. “Anyone who says it’s hard work hasn’t got the mentality we need for the performances. We all love what we do and get to tour to some tremendous places. I had only been to Tenerife before on holiday as a 17 year old and didn’t really think of it as a theatrical base. When the proposal to perform here came up I was flown out and was staggered by the quality of the Auditorium and the level of commitment to performance.”

The opening show lived up to all expectations, Tchaikovsky’s strident and emotional music couldn’t have found a better acoustic home, and the clever use of layered backdrops and lighting made each scene visually stunning. It was the vibrancy, skill and interpretation of the skating cast that captured the imagination. They were all outstanding but the main players relished every moment with towering performances. Andrei Penkine made hero Siegfried vulnerable but ultimately strong; Vadim Yarkov oozed evil as Count Rothbart; Olena Pyatash teased and tempted as the black swan, and Olga Sharutenko was the shining light as the white swan. The standing ovation was warm and prolonged. Let’s hope the next tour flies in to Tenerife.

FACT FILE

El Lago de Los Cisnes Sobre Hielo (Swan Lake On Ice)

Adan Martin Auditorium, Santa Cruz

Shows Thurs 26 May 8.30pm, Fri 27 May 6pm and 9.30pm, Sat 28 May 6pm and 9.30pm, Sun 29 May 6pm.

Tickets from 19 to 45 euros. Book in person at the Auditorium box office 10 am to 3 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays, or phone 902317327 from 10 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday or on line.

No flash mob can match its impact, no computer game can outdo its intensity and no history book can deliver its raw emotional power. The Passion tells the harrowing story of the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus and you can experience it in all its glory in Adeje on Good Friday, 22 April from noon.

It’s a piece of street theatre that will be played out in several towns across Tenerife but the tight palm tree shaded Calle Grande makes the perfect setting where over 10,000 people line the street as the story unfolds over two emotion packed hours. The preparation for The Passion involves a large part of the local population. Costumes and props are worked on all year and a cast of hundreds, including many children, spend hours rehearsing their parts. Even the animals have a role to play, with horses and cattle needed to set the scene.

Calle Grande becomes a living stage and as the church bells signal noon, trumpets herald the arrival of a Roman legion with centurions mounted on horses and others braving their sandals as they march in their wake. The emperor and his wife look regal and arrogant as they follow, carried on their thrones. All this happens at the top end of the street and there will be new vantage points this year as the revamped church plaza has finally opened.

Modern technology ensures that the crowds get to see and hear as the story develops at key stage areas en route. The Last Supper opens the show, the disciples seated around a large table are shocked to hear that one of them will betray Jesus. Head microphones relay the conversation to speakers placed along the route and film cameras capture everything for local television and a giant screen at the bottom end of the street. Powerful and moving it may be but it’s a well worn event for some of the older locals who take the relaxed option of watching from one of the bars that line the route.

Lamp posts, benches and balconies are much sought after for the best views as the epic moves on to the garden of Gethsemane where Judas reveals his true colours. Jesus is the only professional actor, all the other parts are played by well rehearsed locals. If that conjures up thoughts of village hall amateur dramatics, you will be surprised at the sheer scale of The Passion and its graphic realism. Once Jesus is sentenced in the court room, whipped and forced to carry the cross down to his crucifixion, the wounds and the blood clearly shock some of the onlookers.

The final scene is met with a hushed reverence as the cross is hauled up and Jesus nailed to it, only keen eyesight or a zoom lens will reveal the small gripping points the actor has to hold on to. This is not just a performance for the deeply religious, it’s a moving story that will make your senses tingle whatever your beliefs. As Jesus looks down and forgives those that have killed him there are many wiping away tears in the crowd. For the true meaning of Easter, an insight into local religious culture, or a superbly played out piece of theatre, this is one of the must-see events on the Tenerife calendar.

A Moveable Feast
I have made several attempts in the past to understand why the dates of Easter vary year on year, after all, surely the date of Christ’s death and his resurrection are known and can be commemorated annually? But no, apparently the crucifixion took place on 15 Nisan (Nisan being the first month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical year) which in turn depends on phases of the moon. And here is where the problem starts. Phases of the moon vary season to season and year to year, what’s more, they don’t always obligingly fall on a Sunday which is when the Christian church would like to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

After centuries of contention, which incidentally still continues (the latest meeting of the World Curches Council held in 1997  proposed yet more reforms which were never implemented), the way to calculate Easter is this: find the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring) which is usually the 21st or 22nd March, then look for the next full moon and Easter falls on the Sunday following that – simple.

Holy Week
In Spain, Holy Week which this year begins on April 17th, is the most important event in the religious calendar, even more so than Christmas. The week commemorates so many significant events in Christ’s life, from his arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to his  resurrection on Easter Sunday.

In Tenerife, as all across Spain, Holy Week is a deeply sombre affair featuring masses, blessings and processions, the most important and reverent of which take place in the former capital of La Laguna. But you’ll find events taking place right across the island in Santa Cruz, Los Realejos, La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Garachico, Arona and Adeje.

Holy Friday (Good Friday) is the most solemn of the events as the Church mourns the death of Christ. In La Laguna there are two processions featuring hooded penitents who wear the traditional capirote, or hooded conical hats to hide their faces, and barefooted monks whose ankles and wrists are manacled. The first of the processions, the Magna,  leaves the Church of the Concepción in La Laguna at 5pm while the haunting Silent Procession takes place by torchlight at 9pm with the centre of the city plunged into darkness as a sign of respect. In Adeje, one of the biggest Good Friday events on the island is staged with The Passion, a re-enactment of the crucifixion involving some 300 participants and thousands of onlookers.

Easter Eggs and Bunnies
With Easter perpetually tied to the advent of spring, the humble egg has long been a feature of celebrations. From the use of hard boiled eggs dipped in salt water in the Jewish Passover Seder to the pagan celebrations of fertility and reproduction, the egg is a powerful symbol of the arrival of spring and nature’s awakening from the slumbers of winter. The association of re-birth and the dawning of the light that stems from both the religious significance of the resurrection of Christ and the pagan celebrations of spring also brings the bunny rabbit into play, their prowess in the reproduction business being a well established fact.

The chocolate Easter egg made its first appearance in the early 19th century but without the know-how to separate cocoa butter from the cocoa bean, using moulds to create the egg shape was a lengthy and lumpy affair. It wasn’t until the Dutch invention of a press in 1878 that chocolate moulds first appeared. Naturally, the Cadbury Brothers were pioneers in the industry, their first chocolate Easter eggs being made from dark chocolate and filled with sugared almonds. When they began adding decoration in the form of chocolate piping and marzipan flowers, the fashion took off and by 1893 there were 19 different lines in the Cadbury’s Easter Eggs range. It wasn’t until the turn of the century in 1905 that milk chocolate was launched with the Cadbury’s MilkO Chocolate. Today, milk chocolate Easter Eggs dominate the market.

Incidentally, if all this talk of Cadbury’s Easter Eggs has whetted your appetite for your favourite egg, your best bet for hunting down a real chocolate Easter Egg on Tenerife is to head to one of the out of town large supermarket chains where you’ll find a small selection of familiar names.

Vegas lounge crooners, tribute acts and stars who made it big in the eighties are all very nice, but what is there for those of us staying in or visiting Tenerife who get a buzz from vibrantly fresh and original live music? Where do we go for our hit of sex & drugs & rock ‘n’ roll…well the  rock ‘n’ roll part anyway?

The answer is that there are actually plenty of venues to see good, live original music that offer an alternative to the cabaret and tribute acts more commonly associated with the music scene on Tenerife. And the next couple of weeks sees the best of the Canary Islands’ musical talent rock the reef, as well as most of the other islands, as part of fmac 11; The Canary Islands Festival of  Alternative Music.

This year nearly forty bands are performing at the fmac festival. Most are Canarian based, but there’s also a good sprinkling of artists from mainland Spain, Europe and as far afield as Japan. On Tenerife a concentrated dose of the indie rock, pop, jazz, world music and funk that usually makes up the sounds heard at the fmac festival can be a welcome change to those of us fed on the musical diet of the Latino beats and traditional Canarian compositions most often heard outside of the main southern resorts. For everyone else the festival is a great opportunity to get to hear some thumping live local bands do their stuff as well as experiencing a different face of Tenerife’s night life that isn’t usually seen by most visitors.

Most of the concerts are free and there are seven venues just on Tenerife alone; Cafe Quilombo (La Orotava), Castillo San Felipe (Puerto de la Cruz), Bar del Sheriff (Puerto de la Cruz), Cafe 7 (La Laguna), Banda Aparte (Santa Cruz), ON Bar (La Orotava) and La Casa de la Cultura San Agustín (La Orotava).

The first guitar twangs rang out on 18th March, but fmac really only hits its stride in April and the next three weekends see nineteen different artists bring their own particular brand of alternative music to venues on Tenerife; the highlight of which is the free concert featuring three or four bands that signals the end of the festival. Usually this is held beside Casa Aduano (the customs house) in Puerto de la Cruz but this year it’s been inexplicably shifted. So if anyone wants to catch Lanzarote’s pop/rock group Oscartienelas, Tenerife rockers Marvel Hill, electronic punksters LolaLola and the ‘delightfully’ named Fuckin Four Factory from Gran Canaria, they’ll have to head uphill from the north coast to the plaza beside the Casa de la Cultura San Agustín in La Orotava on the night of Friday 15th April.

Historic surroundings and rocking good music in the same package and for free…surely an alternative aspect of Tenerife that is worth seeking out?

For a full list of venues, artists and dates (but curiously not times) check out the official fmac website here…