Gran Canaria Carnival
This is the most important festival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and it is celebrated during the month of February. For three weeks the daily appearance of the city changes as the inhabitants dress up and don’t stop dancing, chatting and enjoying themselves.
The Atlantic and cosmopolitan character of the city is its best guarantee for the correct celebration of an event whose main characteristic is the acceptance of the other and the realisation that not a madness exists that can’t be turned into reality.

Traída del Barro (Bringing the clay)
This has been celebrated in the month of June ever since the year 1994, and involves a group of young people from the Peña del Barro (Clay Club) Cultural Association attempting to recover traditions and old trades, such as pottery.

Canary Day
On Canary Day the anniversary of the first session of the Canary Parliament is celebrated. This session took place on the 30th of May, 1983, ten months after the publication of the Autonomy Statute in the Official State Bulletin. The Statute was published on the 10th of August, 1982 and recognised a greater power of self-government for the Canaries. The first parliament was presided over by Pedro Guerra Cabrera and his institutional message can be resumed with “to construct a region of islands, from now and for ever”.

Festival of Saint Peter
This takes place on the 29th of June in the Parish of San Pedro in the Agaete Valley. The most notable part of the festival is the celebration of the Bajada de la Rama (Bringing down the branches), where, on the night of the 27th, the pilgrims go up to the pine forest of Tamadaba to cut down some branches that they then take down to the village at dawn. They then proceed to dance with the branches through the neighbourhood of San Pedro and leave them as an offering to the Saint upon finishing the route, with the exception of poleo and tornillo branches which are kept at home to alleviate colds and flu.

Festival of the Flowering Almond Tree
At the beginning of the year, the almond trees in Tejeda and Valsequillo announce the arrival of spring by covering themselves with white flowers that bring to mind the snows of past winters. Nature takes over the streets and roads of these villages, offering a singular spectacle that, 34 years ago, gave origin to the celebration of festivals that quickly became popular and touristy. Concretely, the birth of this festival can be linked to the creation of a youth club in Tejeda in 1969 called Pun 70, promoted by Fermín Romero, that, at the start of that decade, organised night festivals with street stalls to commemorate the flowering of the almond trees.

Saint Anthony of Padua
A patron saint festival. This festival used to be the social environment where the young ladies could find a partner. They dressed up for the first time and their parents reduced their control so that they could go out. The trip to and from the festival also had social undertones because there was singing and joke-telling. The pilgrimage of Saint Anthony is normally celebrated on the Saturday closest to the 13th of June and a popular sancocho (banquet) is held on the Monday afterwards. A typical fete is also held that still maintains its vitality and traditional flavour, mostly due to a cheese tasting.

La Naval (Naval Day)
The military victory over Francis Drake in 1559 is celebrated. Sometimes it is confused with the battle of Lepanto because both took place in October and not many years apart. In 1920, pine branches were brought from the forest and used to decorate the streets of the port. In 1945, this was referred to as “enramadas”. In the procession it is possible to see all of the members of the city council as their presence is demanded by their positions. It is one of the most traditional festivals in the city. It starts with the Chapuzón, organised by the Victory Club, in which public and social celebrities bathe in the sea at the Canteras Beach.

The Festival of Three Palms
This neighbourhood was born when a cooperative of güagueros bought plots of land and received help with their constructions. In 1977 the Bank of Credits for Construction put the neighbourhood up for auction and the people started a neighbourhood fight that they ended up winning. It was in the time of the Spanish transition and the social activity was influenced enormously by the appearance of this festival. This neighbourhood also participated in the “water war” of 1983, related with the price of water and that also gave way to another festival in San José. This is a clear example of how festivals mark special moments in community life. From this time each annual festival has been turned into a moment of demands when improvements in infrastructure and facilities of the place are asked for. The fiesta lacks any religious reference.