Fuerteventura: Fiestas & Festivals

Festivals and celebration in Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is full of great fiestas and celebrations and events take place most months of the year. Here is a list of the biggest and best events to make your holiday even more fun.

1st January

New Yea

In Fuerteventura New Years celebrations go with a bang. There are fireworks displays and live music in Corralejo , Puerto del Rosario, Caleta de fuste, Cotillo and Morro Jable. Restaurants and bars stay open into the small hours . So take your pick which lovely location you celebrate in.

January 5th

Dia de los Reys

In Spain Christamas Eve is celebrated much more than Christmas day in the uk. It is marked with a big long meal with friends and family that goes on way past midnight. But really its -Dia de los reys – that is the biggest fiesta over the Christmas period in Spain. In Fuerteventura there is a big procession organized by the local town council. The procession travels around Puerto Rosario with the three kings handing out sweets to the kids. It celebrates the 3 wise men/kings travelling along their way to meet baby Jesus. Its great fun and people dress up and their are floats pulled by cars and music and alot of sweets given away to kids. A great new years celebration.

February

Carnival month !

Dates vary each year .. but every Canarian island has a big carnival with Gran Canaria and Tenerife being the biggest and most impressive. Fuerteventura has its own smaller carnivals in Corralejo and Puerto del Rosario. There are processions, music ,food stalls and alot of laughs. The pedestrian area of Puerto del Rosario has a nice relaxed feel with stalls selling local hand made goods and food. The floats parade down the main avenue.

March

Semana Santa

Holy week or semana santa leads up to good Friday and Easter Sunday. There are alot of saint celebrations on the island throughout the seven days. The main parade takes place in Puerto del Rosario. Its probably the most serious religious festival of the year. The floats and procession depicts the story of jesus rising from the dead after being crucified.

The entire scene is alive with colour and sound and the costumes have alot of history and both local children and adults take place.. Without a doubt, Holy Week in Fuerteventura is a tradition that is an integral part of the culture and appropriately reflects the spirit of the people.

May

Dia de la Cruz

Dia de la cruz (day of the cross) the 3rd of May is a special day in Fuerteventura and mainland Spain. Celebrations occure in every town in Fuerteventura. The day itself goes by a variety of names, Las Cruces de Mayo (May Crosses), Dia de la Cruz (Day of the Cross) and Fiesta de las Cruces (Festival of Crosses) are just a few names that this tradition is known by which is understandable given its popularity in both Spain and Latin America. The day consists of the displaying of two to three metre high decorated crosses. Groups of all sorts come together including religious brotherhoods and social groups as well as individuals or neighbourhood associations that decorate a cross as best they can, often with any donations or proceeds going to charity or the funding of future religious processions in Puerto del Rosario.

June

Corpus Cristie

Corpus Christi (in latin Body of Christ) is a Christian festival honouring the Eucharist. It is celebrated on Thursday following Trinity Sunday. Corpus Christi is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England and some other Anglican churches.The date for celebration is not fixed. It varies according to the date of Easter. The main procession parades through Puerto del Rosaio .

July 14th

dia de san Buenaventura

This is all about celebrating Betancuria’s patron saint. In 1416 a Franciscan monk was made the village saint.The villagers have food stalls serving local cuisine including the goat cheese and meat. There is a procession in traditional costumes in honor of the saint.There are local music and gift stalls. Its a nice relaxed day in a very charming village. A chance to see real Fuerteventura village life.

Fuerteventura music festival held in el cotillo

Usually in early July this little festival is on the beach in the fishing village El Cotillo. Local and international bands feature and there is a great atmosphere. El Cotillo is a very picturesque and has an array of very good restaurants.

Jazz/Blues festival

This is a high-class, international Jazz / Blues Festival Festival set in Corralejo and gets a lot of supporters from the international Blues & Jazz scene. Fuerteventura already has created a reputation as "Island of the Blues", next to its world-wide profile as "Surfing Paradise". This festival has quality acts from around the globe andis getting a bigger following every year.

September

Feast of nutra senhora del pino Nuestra Señora del Pino

Celebrated in Antigua with food stalls and music it is held on September 8th, and dates back to the seventeenth century when the statue of the Virgen del Pino was taken to the capital of the island in order to pray for rain. In the eighteenth century the pilgrimages of the eighth of September started to become popular events, and these days they are one of the main attractions of this fiesta. The meeting of the faithful and the procession-goers moves through main street in Puerto del Rosario.

October

Festival of vigin del Rosario..

Celebrating the patron saint catholic of islands capital. The Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario 2007 (Festival of Our Lady of the Rosary) takes place between September 21st and October 8th. There are usually all kinds of things to do and see, including plough-pulling, wrestling and stick fighting (a traditional Canarian sport) and battles with flowers. There is also lots of singing and folk dancing and gofio and water is scattered, as an offering to the Virgen del Rosario. Gofio is a type of flour made from roasted corn and other grains. It is used plentifully in Canarian cooking and people eat it as cake, bread or cereal at the festival.

12th oct

National Spain day celebrating espana

Fuerteventura being part of Spain has a national holiday on 12th October.Hispanic Day is a national public holiday in Spain on October 12. Public life is generally quiet and many businesses and other organizations are closed. Many stores are closed but some bakers and food stores may be open. Public transport services generally run to a reduced schedule although there may be no services in rural areas.

November

International kite festival

It runs for 3 days and is a colourful festival held on beach in corralejo sand dune area.The International Kite Festival is held over three days in November ( traditionally the 2nd weekend of the month), on the Playa del Burro, Glass beach sand dunes, which are just to the south of Corralejo. In 2009 and 2010 the kites were also flown for one day on the beach at El Cotillo, before returning to the sand dunes for the weekend. Europes best kiters come together each year to create a spectacular display of kites. On average there are about 240 highly individual kites on display.

This magical event has been on Fuerteventura since 1987, when somebody had the wizard idea of taking it to an island in the path of the trade winds. Since then many of the kiters have returned to Fuerteventura during November of each year for the event. Apart from kite flyers and tourists, many kite tradesmen attend the festival, and you can purchase the latest additions to their ranges. Kites cost from around ten pounds to over three thousand pounds. Many participants take pride in creating the kites themselves. Although this festival was purely for the pleasure of the spectacle of kites flying there is also a competition.

Womad music festival 4-6 nov Gran tarajal

The Womad (world music festival) is famous all around the globe and has chosen Fuerteventura as one of its destinations. Set in the real Canarian town of Gran Tarajal it draws famous acts from all around the world. There is a huge stage set up on the beach and music plays for 3 days . Food stalls, local crafts and cafes are also a feature.