Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival, Spain

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What is the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria?

The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is an annual celebration that takes place in Spain. The Carnival of Gran Canaria is an impressive party that never stops, in which you can enjoy a great range of events from start to finish in the 3 weeks of partying right by the sea. The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is an impressive party that never stops, in which you can enjoy a great range of events from start to finish in the 3 weeks of partying right by the sea.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria celebrates its Carnival party in full swing to celebrate the end of winter. The streets are filled with hundreds of colors, thousands of colorful costumes, the best music and good entertainment so you can have a great time. Carnival is the best opportunity to leave everyday life aside and become your favorite hero or character.

 

 

Every year you can enjoy agreat schedule of events that include parades,contests,comparsas,murgas,street parties, drag queen showss and many other activities that you definitely won’t want to miss. The carnival has become ameans of popular and social expression, so you will see manifestations of social satire, mockery of the authorities, busting of social constructs and crazy costumes that defy the authorities.

Unlike other carnivals in the region, that of the Palmas de Gran Canaria is a great constant party that fills the streets with people day and night. Thanks to its great participation, contribution to culture and economy, the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has been listed as a Festival of Tourist Interest of the Canary Islands and Festival of National Tourist Interest.

 

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When is the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria?

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The Carnival of Las Plas de Gran Canaria are a celebration that follows a regular schedule in the calendar, as it is a festival that takes place regularly before Lent, so it takes place between the month of February and the month of March.

 

 

History of the Carnivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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Initials

The Carnival in Las Palmas de Gran Canariais as old as the city itself. After the conquest of the island, around the 15th century, the city began to be populated by both Spaniards and natives of other European cities. The festivities acquired a notable influence from the Italian carnivals, but also had elements such as bullfighting and knight knighting. A century later, the carnival began to add elements of masked dances, an event of great popularity that was attended by great personalities..

The carnival festivities began to become even more popular and were attended by well-known figures in the history of the country, including poets, playwrights and even military men. However, due to the excessive and sinful nature of the carnivals, the religious authorities of the time prohibited their celebration. Despite this, the festivities still continued to be celebrated, only clandestinely.

 

Nineteenth century

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The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria took place in afamily and neighborhood environment through theuse of costumes and masks refined in the upper strata, while in the humbler strata were performed with some rags and sheets. They also began to integrate celebrations in the streets with the first parades and burning fireworks, although these were only performed until midnight due to religious policies.

In addition, the carnivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria began to introduce an innovative element: the carnival groups or guilds. These gremios fulfilled the function of convening and carrying out parties with different themes and motifs. Likewise, the cabalgatas de carrozas and carros alegóricos were consolidated. The different scenarios of the city also contemplated dances and carnival entertainment.

Twentieth century

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Like the carnivals in Tenerife, the carnivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria acquired the name “Fiestas de Invierno“. This was a strategy that would serve to avoid the censorship and prohibition of the carnivals during the Franquist dictatorship. In addition, the carnivals took the form of dances and parties clandestinely, in private clubs, halls and houses of relatives and friends.

After the Franquist Regime, carnivals regained the stage in the streets, acquiring the proportions that are denoted today. The festivities were held with some costume parades, parades and carrozas. The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria began to acquire a more structured form with a better organization to carry out the festivities.

The carnival festivities began to become more professional and to penetrate much deeper into the identity of the locals. In addition, a commission was established for the organization of the celebrations. During the 1980s, one of the most important events was established: El Pregón. The first editions of its appearance, the Pregón toured the streets and stopped at the Casas Consistoriales. During these years it would also result in what today is known as “Verbena de las Sábanas“.  In addition, at the end of the century begins to celebrate theGala Drag, one of the ceremonies that today is still part of the celebrations.

 

Today

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In 2001 a company known as “Promoción de la Ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria S.A.” was established, which would be in charge of the planning, organization and management of the festivities, especially the carnivals. In 2011, the Viceconsejería de Turismo del Gobierno de Canaria catalogued the carnivals as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Canaria. In this way, it has consolidated the festivities, thus allowing a greater number of visitors every year. It has also had a great positive impact on the island’s economy. Six years later, the carnival became a Festival of National Tourist Interest.

Today, the carnival has become one of the most important events on the island, contributing immensely to the island’s economic activity. In addition, it offers spaces for leisure, recreation and shows, as well as a means of social expression, both for protests and identity manifestations.

 

Where is the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria?

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Carnivals are held in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Isla Gran Canaria, Spain. Santa Catalina Park has established itself as the center of the Carnival festivities, so many of the events are held there.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria occupies a total area of 100.55 square kilometers where approximately 380,000 inhabitants live.

 

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How the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is celebrated

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The Carnival has several celebratory elements that occur at all times throughout the season, making it a complete party from start to finish. The Carnival of Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria has a quite distinguished program of celebrations that ranges from musical performances, murgas, first-class entertainment, comparsas shows, parades and dozens of different activities that turn the carnival into a party like no other.

Some of the elements that stand out most within the festivities of the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are:

 

Murga

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Murgas are a genre of musical theater that have established themselves as one of the most faithful carnival traditions in Spain and some regions of Latin America. The Murga groups have up to 17 people who play important roles in the performances. Generally they are all men, but fortunately women have been acquiring many more spaces within the genre. During carnivals, you can always see them with colorful costumes, which resemble the appearance of a buffoon.

The musical pieces that characterize the murgas possess components of manifestation and criticism towards society or politics, which makes it an instrument for popular expression in a intelligent, humorous and unique way.

At the Carnival of Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria there are competitions of Murgas, one of the characteristic events of the festivities. In these competitions musical pieces are performed with a deep criticism towards the various sectors, but applying an impeccable dose of humor and satire.

 

Pregonero

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The pregonero is one of the most important figures of the carnival, since it is he who performs the opening of the festivities. Generally, whoever fulfills the role of town crier can be a person or a group of people who are in the entertainment industry, have a great professional career in the artistic industry or are people who have contributed to society.

The town crier offers a short speech with the purpose of encouraging people to be part of the festivities.

 

Verbena de las Sábanas

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The Verbena de las Sábanas has been one of the celebrations that has been in constant intermittency. However, it was first celebrated in the 1980s. Generally, it is held on the same day as the pregón event and features the participation of thousands ofpeople who roam the streets with sheets and bedding and pillows. The whole event is accompanied by comparsas and murgas that animate the people in the pasacalle.

 

Galas

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The galas held in the Carnival of La Gran Canaria are characterized by being almost exclusively for the selection and coronation of the Carnival Queens. In these events the Veteran Queen of the festivities is chosen, crowning her as the Grand Dame.

 

Children’s Queen

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The Children’s Queen Gala is another of the galas that incorporates the carnival festivities. On this occasion, several children perform with achoreography, singing and a themed costume. The costumes arefree choice, so imagination is the limit in this gala.

If you want to know more about tourism in this country I recommend this guide:.

 

Drag Queen

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The Drag Queen Gala is an event that has been being part of the carnival celebration since the late 20th century, giving spaces to the LGBTIQ+ movement to participate in the festivities. This gala is avisual themed show, as the candidates must perform a music show with choreography, visual arts and dance steps.

The theme of the presentations is free, so every year you can find many surprises. The costumes of the participants are mostly made by great personalities in the Spanish fashion industry.

 

Integration

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The Gala of Integration is a ceremony whose purpose is to offer spaces of expression to the community with reduced mobility.

 

Carnival Queen

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This gala is where the Carnival Queen is chosen. It is one of the most special and important celebrations of the whole carnival. The competitors wear their costumes of various colors composed of thousands and thousands of rhinestones. The theme of the galas is free, allowing the competitors to design their own corography and costumes. The event is attended by up to 4 thousand people and is broadcast live on television networks. The event features the participation of the murgas, comparsas and live entertainment.

 

Comparsa

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The comparsas in Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria are made up of two categories: Comparsas Adultas and Comparsas Infantiles. The comparsas must have 3 essential components: Batucada provided by the percussion and sound; the Parranda provided by the lyrics and finally, the dancing corps. Both categories compete for the title of winners.

 

Contests

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In the Carnavales de Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria various contests are held in several categories. Like severalCarnival themes, they are of free themes and compete for first place in their category.

 

Body Makeup

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It is a contest that has been present in the festivities for 2 decades. The contest is about thedesign of large colorful and themed pieces on the skin, the art of Body Painting. Each body is a blank canvas for the artists who design a spectacular work of art that accompanies with some decorations, feathers and sparkles.

 

Costumes

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In this competition enter two categories which in turn has 3 other subcategories. During the carnival there are adult and children costume contests. In addition, each of these categories also has individual costume, pair costume andgroup costume.

 

Canino

It is one of the most recent contests of the carnivals, being included in the project in 2010. It is acontest of dogs that are accompanied by their owners, who design a particular theme and must perform some walks and tricks. Both the pet and the owner are disguised in the theme of their choice.

 

Traditional Carnival

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They are also known as the Indianos Palmeros and is an alternative to the modern carnival, as it is a kind ofcommemoration to the Canarian emigrants. During the event a small parade is held and everyone wears white to make abig talc war.

 

Mogollones or Carnival Nights

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Mogollones arenightly celebrations in the streets of the city where several stages with music are arranged. They usually take place in 5 nights distributed in every week and last until dawn.

 

Tips to go to the Carnivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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If you want to spend your carnivals in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, we recommend you to plan your trip in advance, make an itinerary of activities and book the accommodation of your choice. Also, be sure to pack comfortable clothes so that you can fully enjoy your carnival.

We recommend you to actively participate in your carnivals, pack a good costume or get one in town so you can be part of the festivities.

 

Events in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival

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The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has a program full of events and activities that take place from beginning to end. While there are activities that take place following a specific order, there are events, concerts, parades and celebrations that occur privately or in small proportions in the 3 weeks of celebration.

The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has the following events in its schedule of activities:

 

Friday, April 30

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It takes place on the first day and before the event held by the proclamation. It is a small parade with the participation of the groupings, music bands and thousands of dancers that brighten up the night in the city. The parade starts at Plaza de Cairasco in the direction of Vegueta.

At 11 pm the Pregón event takes place in the historic center of the city. All the groups including murgas, drags and comparsas attend the party. The Pregón will address the city to kick off the festivities. After the culmination of the act, a concert or live music presentation takes place.

 

Saturday, May 1st

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During this day the children’s troupe contest takes place where the various groups formed by children perform a competition taking into account the rhythm, the choreography and the costumes.

 

Sunday, May 2

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The first event to be held is the children’s costume festival. The event has the participation of the children of the city in the company of their parents, friends and relatives. The event includes the categories of group, couple and individual costumes.

The second event of the day is the Drag Queen Gala at 10 pm. The various drag candidates compete in the event. The cantidatas incorporate the various festive and carnival elements to earn the title of queens.

 

Monday, May 3

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The first phase of the murgas contest takes place. Several murgas perform on stage in colorful and thematic attire to unveil their musical pieces containing criticisms of society and politics.

 

Tuesday, May 4

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The second phase of the murgas contest takes place. New murgas take the stage to be judged by the panel of jurors.

 

Wednesday, May 5

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The third and last phase of the murgas contest takes place. During this night, the jury gives its verdict to select two finalist murgas that will face each other again during the week.

 

Thursday, May 6

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Theadult costume contest takes place. Several adult groupings take the stage to be judged and win a prize. Like the children’s contest, group, couple and individual costumes are presented.

 

Friday, May 7

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The adult comparsas groups face off on stage to be crowned the night’s winners. Their pieces will be judged taking into consideration music, rhythm and dance. In addition, each of the comparsas have elaborate costumes, full of feathers and sequins.

 

Saturday, May 8th

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Several groups take to the streets on Saturday to celebrate carnival. The streets Calvo Sotelo, Pelota Mendizábal and other streets and squares are filled with people in costume in the company of live entertainment to celebrate the carnival festivities.

During the night thefinal of the murgas takes place. The panel of judges gives an opinion on the groups to then award the title of winner to the murga that performed the best during the night.

 

 

Sunday, May 9

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During the morning the gala or the Canine Carnival takes place. The event features the presentations of the dogs and their owners, who perform some tricks and wear themed costumes. The whole event is accompanied by a musical show. At the end, the party continues with more performances and DJs..

During the evening, theChildren’s Queen Gala takes place. Several children take to the stage to perform a singing presentation and a parade of each of the candidates wearing a themed costume. The event is also accompanied by murgas and comparsas.

 

Friday, May 14

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In the evening the Queen’s Gala takes place. The event features a competition of all the queen candidates who are judged to be crowned the Carnival Queen. The event involves actors, dancers and extras..

Well into the night, a night carnival takes place where some DJs perform to continue the party for hours.

 

Saturday, May 15th

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During the morning afamily carnival is held in the city center. The event includes a large number ofworkshops of all kinds, a pasacalle from Plaza Stagno to Parque San Telmo and ends with some shows, concerts and murgas. In addition, several murgas and comparsas are performed at various points in the city..

During the evening, the Drag Queen Gala preselection is held to choose those who will perform in the main gala. Later, a great concert is held with the participation of several groups and DJs.

 

Sunday, May 16

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During the day there are some meetings of children’s murgas. The children take the stage to present some musical pieces wearing thematic costumes. Later some DJ concerts take place and the day ends with a children’s parade.

 

Monday, May 17

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This day is dedicated to the performance of the Traditional Carnival. Thousands of peopletake to the streets completely dressed in white. On the spot, they make a great talc war until they are completely covered. The streets are completely covered with talc, forming a large layer of talc on the ground.

That same night, the Grand Drag Gala is held, in which all the finalists of the pre-selection participate. The fight is hard and has alarge number of presentations that integrate scenic arts, dances, costumes, music and presentations. All candidates wear colorful and ostentatious costumes.

This same night there is a great musical gathering with several DJs and musical groups.

 

Tuesday, May 18

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On this day the Daytime Carnival in Santa Catalina takes place. During the day there is a large concentration of people to see the diverse musicians and groups. The streets become a great stage for the party and celebration.

The event begins at noon, starting with several presentations of DJs and musicians and ends late at night. The event has featured performances by world-class artists such as Juanes.

 

Wednesday, May 19

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During the day there is a large encounter of children’s murgas. The event features numerous murga groups performing on stage in themed costumes. The children perform their musical pieces with various messages.

 

Thursday, May 20

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During the evening the integration gala takes place. This event is a great act where people with some type of disability are integrated so that they can express themselves through the different elements of the carnival. Likewise, the gala has thousands of participants all of them wearing colorful and thematic costumes.

 

Friday, May 21

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On this day the body makeup or body paint contest is held with all participants displaying an incredible piece of body art accompanied with glitter and feathers.

Later that night a night carnival is held again with a great musical accompaniment and entertainment of the best level.

 

Saturday, May 22

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During the day takes place one of the mostbig events of the carnival: Gran Cabalgata. The event has more than 200,00 people attending the streets all together to see around 100 beautifully decorated floats and themed cars. Thousands of dancers perform in the streets to accompany all the floats and cars.

The event also features the presentation of the murgas, musical bands and the different comparsas with colorful and stunning costumes. Of course, the royal courts are present in the parade, with the Carnival Queen and the Drag Queen.

 

Sunday 23 May

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It is the last day of the carnival. All the people gather to perform the funeral procession of the sardine. The burning of the great effigy of carnival takes place on the beach of Las Canteras..

 

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Carnival Parades of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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The Grand Carnival Parade takes place on the penultimate day of the festivities and is known as Gran Cabalgata. The event features around 100 decorated floats, decorated cars and the dozens of comparsas in colorful costumes. The event is accompanied by all the groups, including the dancers, murgas, musical bands and thousands of fun costumes. The parade is led by the royal court, being the Carnival Queen and the Drag Queen the two most important figures of the whole event.

The floats and groups do their best to demonstrate all they have to offer, as they are also being judged by a panel of jurors who will make opinions on the design and decoration of floats.

The entire parade is about 7 kilometers long, starting at 5:00 p.m. until the end of all the presentations and events.

 

Parade route

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The Gran Cabalgata has a route of 7 kilometers, starting at Castillo de la Luz and ending at Parque San Telmo-Teatro Pérez Galdós, from one end of the city to the other.

 

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What to eat in the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria offers you some typical carnival dishes that you can’t miss during the party. One of the traditional dishes of carnival is the tortilla de carnaval, a kind of pancake made of flour, eggs, sugar, milk, lemon and spices that is fried in plenty of oil and then covered with sugar.

One of the classic Canarian must-try dishes is the papas con mojo. This is a dish with miniature potatoes with skin and skins that are cooked in water for a few minutes. When they are cooked, a generous amount of mojo is added. Mojo is a sauce made with peppers, garlic, bread, vinegar and some spices, all processed in a blender until a homogeneous sauce is obtained.

In addition, the city offers several places to eat out such as: Amigo Camilo, Restaurante de Cuchara, Camino al Jamonal, Triciclo and Deliciosa Marta.

 

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Travel Insurance

 

From Carnavalesdelmundo.org we recommend to hire a good insurance to visit this carnival and to know the rest of the country. For being our readers we offer a 5% discount on all IATI insurance. Read more information about all insurance offers here:

 

 

What to see and do during the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria offers you a great program so you will never be bored. Once you find yourself in the carnival, you can attend the various competitions of murgas, day carnivals in the various streets of the city, thecostume contests both children and adults and thes galas of queens. In addition, you can also attend the night carnivals or the traditional carnival to get completely covered in talcum powder.

You can’t miss the Gran Pasacalle, the Drag Gala, theGran Gala of the Carnival Queen nor the Burial of the Sardine, as the 4 events make up the most powerful events in the carnivals. All these events feature great live entertainment, music and a great atmosphere of fun that only Las Palmas can offer you.

If you don’t want to complicate things, here you can book interesting excursions in Spanish in this city:.

 

What to see and do outside the Carnivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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Some of the attractions that the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria offers you are:

Natural Monument Roque Nublo

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It is a natural monument that was the product of three eruptions in 1994. The rock is of volcanic origin and only the rock has a height of 80 meters.

 

Viera & Clavijo Botanical Garden

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It is also known as the canary garden. The garden was inaugurated in 1952 and is devoted almost exclusively to flowers and plants endemic to the Canary archipelago. The enclosure has the Camino de los Dragos Plaza de las Palmeras, Jardín de las Islas, Jardín Macaronésico Omamental, Jardín Escondido and Jardín del Mundo. All of these have particular plants, trees and flowers.

 

Casa de Colón

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This is a cultural institution in Vegueta. The public building was created in 1952 and has a large exhibition on the history and documentation of La Canaria in relation to America.

Also if you want to visit museums and important buildings in this city we recommend that you book your ticket in advance through Tiquets: .

 

Safety in the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria is an extremely safe city and like any tourist site, it is advisable that you avoid some areas at night, in this case Santa Catalina Park.

Pay attention to your surroundings to avoid becoming a victim of pickpockets and frauds aimed at tourists. Also, we recommend the following products to keep your objects safe:

 

 

Weather at the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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During the month of February, Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria has a pleasant climate, with temperatures between 20 and 14 degrees Celsius.

 

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How to get to the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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How to get there by plane

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The closest airport to the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is Airport of Gran Canaria, which receives a good number of national and international flights. Once here, you can use the various means of transport to get to the city center.

We recommend buying airline tickets through Kiwi.com or Skyscanner where they are usually cheaper. More information on this link to review Kiwi.com..

 

How to get there by ferry

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The city receives some ferries from Tenerife, especially from Naviera Armas, Trasmediterranea and Fred Olsen.

 

How to get there by bus

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From the airport you can take a bus company Global Las Palmas to the city center. The journey takes 15 minutes

 

How to get there by car

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From the airport you can take a car along the GC-1 road to the city center. The journey takes 20 minutes.

If you take a cab, the taxi fare ranges from US$19 to US$24.

Where to stay in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival

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Booking.com

 

NH Imperial Playa

4-star hotel 3.1 km from the city center. Rooms have satellite TV, air conditioning, and private bathrooms. The hotel has a restaurant, gym, bar, beach entrance, parking and free wifi.

 

Occidental Las Palmas

4-star hotel 250 meters from the city center. Rooms have TV, closet, kettle and private bathroom. The hotel has a gym, restaurant and private wifi.

 

Hotel Cristina Las Palmas

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5 star hotel 2.7 km from the city center. Rooms have balcony, TV and private bathroom. The hotel has a swimming pool, bar, beach entrance, parking and free wifi.

We recommend you use Booking.com to book hotels at a good price, check more information here:.

 

Thank you for reading

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