Tenerife in February

Carnival month. Santa Cruz throws one of the biggest street parties in the world, and the south coast is still in the low twenties.

The green Anaga mountains in the north-east of Tenerife at sunrise — The Anaga mountains, in the north-east

The weather

Average high: 22°C
Average low: 15°C
Rain: 20 mm, about 2 days
Sunshine: About 7 hours a day

Tenerife South airport, AEMET averages 1981 to 2010.

February is much like January. In the south the average high is about 22 degrees, with nights around 15. It's one of the wetter months by Tenerife standards, which still only means a couple of days of rain in the south.

Snow and frost are common at the top of Teide in winter, and calima, the hazy air from the Sahara, is most likely now.

The sea is at about its coolest, around 18 degrees.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife lit up at night — Santa Cruz de Tenerife at night

Carnival

The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is often described as the second most important in the world, after Rio's. It has more than 100 official groups, from murgas to comparsas, and it was the first festival in the Canary Islands to be declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest.

Its dates move with Easter. The main days fall around Ash Wednesday, which in 2027 is 10 February. The council publishes the programme ahead of time, so check it before you plan a trip.

When carnival was banned under Franco, Santa Cruz kept it going by calling it the Winter Festival. The name Carnaval only came back in 1976.

The big carnival nights

The Wednesday beforeThe Gala Reina, where the Carnival Queen is chosen. The candidates' costumes weigh 150 to 200 kilos, so they move on wheels.
The FridayThe Announcement Parade opens carnival. It runs from Parque La Granja to the Plaza de España and lasts more than 4 hours.
Carnival TuesdayThe Coso, a big parade of floats, carnival groups and the Carnival Queens along the Avenida de Anaga by the sea.
Ash WednesdayThe Burial of the Sardine. A giant papier-mâché sardine is led through the streets by mock widows and priests and burned around midnight, then the dancing carries on in the Plaza del Príncipe until 3 in the morning.
The Saturday afterCarnival by day, a daytime party first held in 2008 so families have their own part of the fiesta. In 2019 more than 400,000 people danced to Juan Luis Guerra.
The final SundayThe Old Cars Contest, and carnival ends that night with fireworks.

The order of events can change from year to year, so check the official programme.

Carnival around the island

Puerto de la Cruz has its own carnival, including the Mascarita Ponte Tacón, an obstacle race through the main streets in heels at least 10 centimetres high. Its Burial of the Sardine is blessed by a man dressed as a bishop and followed by mock mourners, usually men dressed as women, who wail for comic effect.

In Teno Alto the baile de piñata, an old winter ritual now kept up in only a few places, is the most eagerly awaited part of carnival. La Guancha burns its sardine in the coastal district of Santa Catalina.

Dates for the diary

2 FebruaryThe feast of the Virgin of Candelaria, declared patroness of the Canary Islands in 1599, and a public holiday on Tenerife. She is celebrated again on 15 August.
21 FebruaryCanarian Literature Day, first celebrated in Los Realejos in 2006 in honour of the local writer Viera y Clavijo.
All monthThe Canary Islands International Music Festival carries on from January.

Times and details can change from year to year, so check with the town hall before you set off. A public holiday that falls on a Sunday can sometimes move to the Monday.

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