The Departments of Culture and Education will organize the family-friendly event as a tribute to "Canarian roots" on May 2 and 3 in San Fernando Park in Maspalomas.
The San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council has already begun outlining the program for the 1st Noé Peña Regional Gathering of Traditions, a cultural and ethnographic event promoted by the Mayor's Office of Marco Aurelio Pérez Sánchez with the aim of exalting Canarian identity through gastronomy, crafts, folklore, native sports, and traditional clothing.
The Meeting will be held on May 2 and 3, 2026, in San Fernando Park in Maspalomas. It will be educational, festive, and family-friendly. The Departments of Culture and Education, led by Deputy Mayor Elena Álamo Vega and Councilor Esther Delgado Sánchez, will be responsible for its organization, with the collaborative involvement of the Municipal Music School.
The event, nominated in recognition of Noé Peña Rodríguez for his outstanding performance in promoting Canarian ethnography and folklore in this municipality, is intended to become an essential cultural event for the residents of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, as well as a day of reference for the Canary Islands for the population of the Archipelago and a unique event offered by tour operators and scheduled for vacations by tourists visiting the island.
To this end, one of the priorities of the Departments of Culture and Education is to give this Regional Gathering of Traditions a fun, family-oriented atmosphere where crafts, gastronomy, folklore, indigenous sports, and traditional dress from the eight islands, among other things, can be showcased, practiced, and actively enjoyed.
The Meeting will feature a traditional fair emphasizing the Archipelago's gastronomic offerings and tastings, with participatory workshops on handicrafts, instrumentation, and Canarian dance; a children's creative area; musical gatherings with children's and adult folk groups; and even a gala of pilgrims and pilgrims with a traditional dress competition.
Noah, by merit
With this Regional Meeting of Noé Peña Traditions, the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council wishes to honor the Maspalomas resident who directed the Municipal Music School in two stages, from 2003 to 2007 and from 2009 to 2022, and who was also the founder of the Umiaya Folk Group.
Noé Peña Rodríguez, who passed away unexpectedly on October 29, 2022, at the age of 46, was named Favorite Son of the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana at the plenary session held on June 6 "for achieving extraordinary relevance and esteem from the public for his valuable human qualities and personal and professional merits in the field of arts and culture, with unequivocal dedication to the benefit and enhancement of the municipality." He was born in August 1976 and grew up in the Patronato de Maspalomas, whose festivals he announced in May 2019. From a young age, he felt a deep curiosity for music and was already playing the guitar at the age of five. He completed his high school studies at the IES Támara; he earned an academic degree as a piano teacher from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and was a member of Los Gofiones. His defense and love for Canarian culture are credited with the "Raíces" project, which he launched to recognize and award outstanding figures from the island for their work in teaching and promoting Canarian customs, games, dances, and traditions in general. His extensive musical knowledge allowed him to masterfully play the piano, guitar, timple, bandurria, lute, accordion, and even the trombone. He was also the author of three musical publications: "Parrandeando con el timple," "Parrandeando con la guitarra," and "Parrandeando con la bandaurria y el laúd."
