Tenerife keeps the beat
If music is the rhythm of life, there’s no better place to find your beat than in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. From ‘A’ lister pop star Whitney Houston and King of Rap, 50 Cent, to fabulous classical Music Festivals and the dazzling kaleidoscope of Carnival, Tenerife is alive with sound, offering an array of musical delights throughout the year.
The action has already begun with the 16th Canary Islands International Music Festival, the only classical Music Festival held during winter in Europe. This year, performances are being held at the spectacular Auditorio de Tenerife - the stunning opera house designed by Santiago Calatrava – and continue through to 7 February, festivaldecanarias.com.
Preparations are already underway for the Tenerife Carnival and from 12 – 21 February, Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz, hosts one of the largest and most vibrant musical extravaganzas in the world. Rivaling Rio in its splendour, size and glamour, highlights include the election of the Carnival Queen having already taken place on the 10th February, street parades and the dramatic performance of the famous sardine’s funeral, “el Entierro de la Sardina,” where a huge paper fish is set alight.
Some €30,000 was pledge by the Tenerife Tourism Corporation to ensure the event continues its international acclaim for one of the biggest carnivals in world, with most of the funds used to host media from international publications. Minister of Tourism responsible for promoting the Tenerife Carnival, Jose Manuel Bermudez, said “the effort we are making to hold the carnival, bringing all these journalists, ensuring it continues to attract international exposure and presence externally, is because it continues to be one of the best celebrated calendar events in Europe.”
With Spring the tempo changes to rap, and on 27 March one of the world’s top rap artists, 50 Cent, will be performing live in Santa Cruz. On 30 April Tenerife tops the international music circuit once again when pop diva, Whitney Houston, will take centre stage in Santa Cruz for what is the only Spanish date on her World Tour. Both artistes are sure to provide dazzling performances, following in the footsteps of previous live performances on the island by music icons, Elton John and Rod Stewart.
As the year draws to a close and in celebration of the Christmas Season on 25 December, the island hosts a concert by the Tenerife Orchestra Symphony, the Orquestra Sinfónica de Tenerife. This year’s concert will be held in the city of Santa Cruz where visitors will enjoy a musical celebration together with lights, fireworks and events, ost.es.
Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean Tenerife is only four hours flight from the United Kingdom and served by several airline carriers from multiple airports across the UK and Ireland. Its year-round warm and temperate climate, delightful beaches, contrasting regions of north and south and famous Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak, make it one of the most popular short haul destinations for UK visitors and an ideal holiday destination.