Tenerife’s capital city hosts the popular Carnival every February, with a different main theme picked year-on-year. Recent themes have included horror movies, pirates, Hollywood musicals, and magic. The variety of themes ensures a new and unique experience at every visit, with the planning period for the weekend’s main festivities far-reaching.

Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain by Prefeitura de Olinda / License: Creative Commons

Floats and dance routines are planned months in advance; this is by no means an improvised mess – Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a celebration which would more accurately be described as organised chaos and genuine excitement for the exotic exuberance such a celebration brings. The official Carnival contains meticulously planned flair and routine, while the street Carnival is based around the everyday revelers joining in with their own celebrations and costumes. The streets are awash with colour as homemade costumes come out to join the festivities in whichever way they seem fit.

While the Carnival is widely viewed as a weekend event, there are in fact many events on the days building up to the weekend as well as in the days after. The party in fact continues up to the beginning of Lent – with Shrove Tuesday marking the official end of the Carnival, with a sardine-themed day following on Ash Wednesday – an experience which has to be seen to be believed!

The party atmosphere explodes onto the streets in a flash of colour and music, drawing visitors from the world over. Inhibitions are let go as revelers celebrate over many days. Whether you want to visit the officially organised events or go wild at the street carnival, the party continues long into every night and resumes the next morning with renewed enthusiasm.

The Carnival Queen is the undisputed star of the entire event, with the prestigious honour handed out to the most beautiful of the year’s contestants on the Wednesday before Carnival weekend. She becomes the icon of the year’s festival, representing the island and all Carnival related activities. Voting and campaigning for the position of Carnival Queen begins well in advance of the festivities, with the contestants usually acquiring sponsorship from large corporations in order to promote their candidacy. Dresses can weigh on average up to 200lb and stand at over 20ft tall, making them extremely difficult to wear and expensive to make. The coronation is broadcast for the entire country to enjoy live, with a panel of judges and a text vote determining the winner.

For those who want to experience the Carnival atmosphere but do not wish to make the arduous journey to Brazil, the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife provides the perfect alternative. Once you experience the non-stop partying the locals of Santa Cruz provide with open arms for tourists, you might just find yourself a regular visitor.

Fernando Navas is a native to the Canary Islands and always returns home for Carnival.  He recommends experiencing the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife at least once and searching for cheap holidays to Tenerife to provides the perfect party opportunity.

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There are lots of cruise companies offering seven and multi-day cruises aboard modern luxury ships. At each of them you can expect superior service, which often includes 24-hour cabin steward services and an unlimited all-day dining of your choice and at a time that suits you. During the day, you can enjoy the trips to exotic islands or famous cities like London, Lisbon, Barcelona, Naples, Venice or Istanbul, but you can also continue further to Madeira, Canary Islands or even to Jerusalem or Rio de Janeiro. You can also stay on board and enjoy rich cultural program, evening theater and cabaret performances, cinema with the latest movies, live music for listening and dancing, discos, or swimming in the luxury pools…

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Milan Boers

Cruise ships are the kind of holidays where you combine staying at sea with visiting of the different places in the world. During a single trip you have the opportunity to visit many cities and countries. Every day you visit another destination with the big advantage – you don’t have to drive, change trains or buses, or wasting your time and energy by waiting on the airports… But you will have your own cabin and luxury boat facilities travelling with you. On each island, or in any other destination you can visit the mainland individually or choose from optional excursions.

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Cruise ships are popular in different parts of the world. The most popular destinations are undoubtedly the Mediterranean cruises, Caribbean, Middle East and cruises on the Nile River. An offer is really wide, you only have to choose one and certainly spend unforgettable days that you will ever want to repeat…

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