The sequin, the purple, the 2 mm across, the 5,000 of them the hand-sewn onto the costume of the Carnival Queen of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife (the costume that weighs the 200 kilos and costs the €100,000, the 6 months of the construction, the feathers, the ostrich, the pheasant, the peacock, the rhinestones, the glitter, and the spectacle that is the second-largest carnival in the world after the Rio de Janeiro), the sequin that catches the January sun as the Queen is wheeled onto the stage at the Recinto Ferial (the purpose-built the carnival the arena, the 20,000 seats, the sold out, and the live television broadcast to the 3 million viewers across the Canary Islands and the Spain), is the essential Tenerife Carnival the moment. The Carnival of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife brings the South American flair to Europe, and the carnival is the 3 weeks of the music, the parades, the costumes, and the total the abandonment of the normality. Here is your guide.

Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, South American Flair in Europe

• The essentials, the dates, the events, and the Carnival Queen: The Tenerife Carnival runs for the 3 weeks in the January–February (the dates shift each year, the typical: the late January to the mid-February, the climax is the weekend before the Ash Wednesday), and the essential events: The Gala de la Reina (the Carnival Queen Gala): the Wednesday before the Carnival weekend, the €30–60 for the ticket, the 20,000 people in the arena, the 12 candidates in the 200-kilo costumes, the 4-hour spectacle, and the essential: the book the tickets the 3 months in the advance, the gala sells out the 2 months before. The alternative: the watch the live on the RTVE, the free, and the essential pre-visit research. The Cabalgata Anunciadora (the Opening Parade): the Friday, the 3 km route through the city, the 100,000 spectators, the free, and the essential: arrive at the 5pm for the front-row position on the Avenida de Anaga. The Coso Apoteosis (the Main Parade, the essential Carnival experience): the Tuesday, the 5 hours, the 100 floats, the 5,000 costumed participants, and the 400,000 spectators, the streets are the packed from the 2pm, and the essential: the bring the water, the wear the costume (the tourist in the normal clothing is the visibly the out of the place), and the dance the salsa, the everyone the dances, and the no-one cares if you cannot.
• The practicalities and the beyond-the-parade: The essential Carnival practicalities: the accommodation in the Santa Cruz the book the 6 months ahead for the Carnival weekend, the hotels in the Santa Cruz book out the completely, and the alternative: the stay in the Puerto de la Cruz (the 30-minute drive) or the La Laguna (the 15-minute tram). The essential: the tram from the La Laguna is the €1.35 and runs until the 2am on the Carnival nights. The costume: the buy the costume in the Santa Cruz on the day, the €15–25 for the basic the carnival the costume (the wig, the mask, the feather boa), and the essential: the join in, the Carnival is the participatory, not the spectator, the event. The Entierro de la Sardina (the Burial of the Sardine, the Ash Wednesday): the most surreal the carnival the event, the mock the funeral the procession for the giant the paper-mâché the sardine, the men the dressed as the widows the weeping, the fish the carried through the streets to the bonfire on the beach, the fireworks at the midnight, and the end of the Carnival. The essential: the most the Spanish the event of the carnival, and the must-see. The essential Tenerife Carnival the comparison: the Rio is the larger (the 2 million the people), the better known, and the 3 times the more expensive. The Tenerife Carnival is the Rio the in Europe: the £30 for the flight from the UK in the January, the £50/night for the hotel, and the second-best carnival in the world for the £300 for the 3-night the trip.