The fair, which will remain open until March 16 in the vicinity of the Maspalomas Lighthouse, also offers live exhibitions of various trades and musical performances.
The 14th edition of the Gran Canaria Primavera Sur Craft Fair opened its doors today near the Maspalomas Lighthouse with the participation of 72 artisans from the island, ready to show the quality of their handmade works.
From today until March 16, the three tents set up for the fair will exhibit the work of professionals from 15 municipalities on the island representing up to 24 artisan trades, of which three are traditional and 21 contemporary. These include such diverse disciplines as carpentry, blacksmithing, candle making and basket weaving, along with ceramics, jewelry, cutlery, leather goods and glasswork. The textile sector takes on a special role with creations of quilts, fabric decoration, crochet, macramé and felt, without forgetting such unique trades as miniatures, toy making, doll making and cigar making. In addition, the fair highlights proposals for creative recycling of materials, printing and engraving, wood turning and soap making, as a demonstration of the talent, innovation and tradition that characterize local crafts.
“This fair is one of the most attractive spaces for the sector,” said the president of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, who recalled that, in addition to the Christmas fair in San Telmo Park, the one organised in summer and this one, this year, for the first time, there will also be a meeting in winter. “These are spaces that allow craftsmen and women to directly market the product they work with all year round, thus generating important economic activity on the island, but also a way of defending traditional and modern crafts and, ultimately, promoting crafts in Gran Canaria.”
In this sense, fairs like this one seek to strengthen the artisan sector, generating opportunities for those who dedicate themselves to these trades, not only giving visibility to their work, but also providing a space to market it, thus promoting the local economy. In the case of the Gran Canaria Primavera Sur Craft Fair, its privileged location and reference for tourists and visitors to the south of the island, next to the emblematic Maspalomas Lighthouse, make this event an ideal showcase to give visibility to the quality of artisan work, to highlight the professionalism of the creators of Gran Canaria and to spread the cultural wealth of the island's crafts.
The president stated that, in the last three years, the Gran Canaria Primavera Sur Craft Fair has seen an increase in sales, going from 134.000 euros in 2022 to nearly 160.000 euros in the last edition in 2024, “therefore, this is one of the most important spaces in Gran Canaria when it comes to facilitating the marketing of the products of the island's artisans”.
Live crafts and music enrich the visit
The event, which will be open from 10:00 to 19:00, is complemented by a varied programme of activities, including live music and live craft exhibitions. Musical performances will take place on weekends at 17:00, starting on Saturday with Alberto González, Iván Quintana and Juan Sebastián Ramírez. On Sunday 9 March, Zaida Jiménez and Juan Sebastián Ramírez will perform. The following weekend's performances will take place on Friday 14 March, with La Musicleta, and on Saturday 15 March, with Ana Falcón, both also at 17:00.
The fair will also feature daily displays of traditional crafts, led by FEDAC professionals. The demonstrations began today with Pablo Betancor and his work in cane basketry. Tomorrow, Saturday, demonstrations will continue with Eloísa Peña and her way of working palm basketry and on Sunday 9th by Mª Virginia González, specialized in wool spinning. On Monday 10th March it will be the turn of Domingo Suárez, dedicated to the making of cages, while on Tuesday 11th, Ulrike Güse will show her work as a weaver. On Wednesday 12th, Ángel Rosario will offer a stonework demonstration and on Thursday 13th, Manuel González will do the same with cutlery. The last weekend, Bárbara D. Suárez will combine wool spinning and weaving on Friday, March 14, while on Saturday, March 15, Mª Teresa Ríos will present traditional pottery, and on Sunday, March 16, Nicolasa Alemán will close the program with an exhibition of lacemaking.
Promoted and financed by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, through the Fund for Ethnography and the Development of Canarian Crafts (FEDAC), an organization attached to the Ministry of Economic Development, Industry, Trade and Crafts, the Primavera Sur Crafts Fair is organized by Infecar, Feria de Gran Canaria, with the collaboration of the City Council of San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
The full program, as well as the list of artisans participating in this edition of the Gran Canaria Primavera Sur Craft Fair, can be found at the following link: feriasartesaniagrancanaria.es.
