Alejandro Marichal: “Recovering and strengthening this festival means keeping our roots alive and passing on to new generations the pride in our history, our music and our traditions.”
Yilenia Vega: “We want residents and visitors to once again feel the pride of listening to our parrandas, our timples, our chácaras and our traditional music in the Plaza de San Fernando”
San Bartolomé de Tirajana will once again become a meeting point for traditional Canarian music this coming May 30th with the celebration of the XXXIII Maspalomas Regional Folklore Festival, a historic event that returns to the Plaza de San Fernando within the program of the Patron Saint Festivities 2026 under the motto "Roots and Traditions".
The festival will begin at 20:00 PM and will bring together representative groups from different islands of the archipelago: AF Guadarfía from Lanzarote; AF Dunas de Corralejos from Fuerteventura; AF Ixemad from Tenerife; Chácaras y Tambores del Garajonay from La Gomera; and AF Argones de Agüimes from Gran Canaria. The event will be hosted by David Naranjo Ortega.
The revival of this event means bringing back to life one of the most important and longest-running folk festivals in the Canary Islands. Founded in 1981 to coincide with Canary Islands Day and the San Fernando festivities, the Maspalomas Regional Folk Festival established itself over decades as a meeting place for groups from all the islands, keeping alive the folk music, traditions, and identity of the Canarian people.
From its earliest editions, launched with the support of the late, beloved broadcaster Nanino Díaz Cutillas, the festival became a cultural landmark for the municipality and a symbol of San Fernando's deep connection to its traditions. After several years on hiatus, the City Council is once again committed to reviving this event, which is deeply ingrained in the collective memory of generations of residents.
The First Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Tourism, Alejandro Marichal, emphasized that “Canarian popular culture is part of who we are and our identity as a people. Recovering and strengthening spaces like this festival means keeping our roots alive and passing on to new generations a pride in our history, our music, and our traditions.”
Marichal also pointed out that “San Fernando has always been a place of encounter and coexistence, and this festival represents precisely that: the union of the islands through culture and folklore.”
For her part, the Councillor for Festivals and Events, Yilenia Vega, stated that “the San Fernando Festivals are a reflection of the soul of our town, and the Regional Folklore Festival is one of its most moving and representative events. Reviving it and continuing to promote it is a way of paying tribute to those who have kept our traditions alive for so many years.”
“We want residents and visitors to once again feel the pride of listening to our traditional music, our timples, our chácaras and our traditional music in the Plaza de San Fernando, sharing a night dedicated to our roots,” Vega added.
Religious acts and the revival of the procession
The festivities will also experience one of their most emotional moments on Friday, May 29, with the revival of the San Fernando procession, a tradition deeply rooted in the town and eagerly awaited by residents and devotees.
There will be no Mass at 19:00 PM in the Church of San Fernando, as the religious service will be moved to the old Hermitage. The Eucharist will take place in the adjacent park, and afterwards, the procession with the image of San Fernando will resume to the parish church. Once the procession is complete, the image will be returned to its original place inside the church.
The organizers request that all attendees come dressed in traditional Canarian clothing, as a symbol of respect and pride for the traditions and cultural identity of the municipality.
A weekend full of tradition and festive atmosphere
On Friday, May 29, the program will begin at 17:00 p.m. with children's activities, bouncy castles, and workshops in San Fernando Square. Following the religious service and procession, the evening will continue with a concert celebrating the eve of Canary Islands Day, featuring performances by Karamba, Tamarindos, DJ Sanfry, and DJ Marre.
On Saturday, May 30th, Canary Islands Day and the feast of Saint Ferdinand, the festivities will begin with traditional Canarian games, exhibitions, and the traditional fish barbecue. In the afternoon, the "verbena del solajero" (a type of open-air dance) will take place, followed at 8:00 PM by the highly anticipated 33rd Maspalomas Regional Folklore Festival, a prelude to the grand all-night dance in San Fernando Square.
The festivities will culminate on Sunday, May 31st. Starting at 10:00 AM, a futsal tournament will be held in the Vítor Miranda Pavilion; and in the adjacent pavilion, the fun-filled Family Grand Prix will take place. The musical show “A Night with Chavela,” starring Juanka and Omayra Cazorla, will bring to a close ten days of celebrations dedicated to the traditions, community spirit, and cultural identity of San Fernando.
