Gran Canaria Entertainment

After you’ve spent a lazy day on the beach, or a busy day sightseeing, or a day at one of the island’s many theme parks, you’ll be wondering what Gran Canaria has to offer for the evening. There’s no shortage of things to do after the sun’s gone down, with everything from a quiet candlelit dinner at a fine restaurant to a night of exciting dancing at one of the many nightclubs on offer. Alternatively, check out the big hotels, where live shows and casinos are available, or keep an eye on the island’s calendar, which sees a wide variety of cultural events and festivals, with the popular resorts frequently used as focal points.

Nightlife

Gran Canaria’s nightlife is a busy affair and it caters well to its tourist population with plenty of bars and nightclubs as well as a huge selection of restaurants to choose from. Venues stay open late, with most bars closing around 02:00 and nightclubs anytime around 05:00 or later if there are still punters.

The island’s capital city, Las Palmas, has a thriving night scene and sees as many locals as visitors packing the venues, while Puerto Rico and Maspalomas are equally busy with venues aimed at tourists including themed bars such as English and German establishments as well as a variety of dance clubs. A night out in Gran Canaria is not especially expensive and certainly a good deal cheaper than in Ibiza, for example. Beer prices are cheap and spirit portions are generous, while wine by the bottle is a very affordable way to get a little merry. For those looking to spend some money, there are casinos in Las Palmas, many of which belong to the big hotels.

Theatre and Music

Gran Canaria’s cultural entertainment scene tends to be based around a variety of events in its festival calendar as opposed to featuring specific venues with ongoing musical or theatrical schedules. Annual events involving opera, jazz, cinema, theatre and dance all feature in the calendar as well as a highly popular classical music event in the wintertime. Many of the big hotels and apartment complexes have live entertainment in the evenings featuring Spanish dancing and local musical acts.

Festivals

There are a number of annual summer festivals that are unique to the city, with highlights including:

• Dia de los Reyes, or Three Holy Kings Day as it is otherwise known, is celebrated across Spain and on Gran Canaria celebrations focus around Agüimes in particular. A street parade is held, during which time locals dressed as the Three Kings, distribute gifts and candy to children at the roadside (January).
• The Festival of Almond Blossom (Fiesta del Almendro en Flor) is held to coincide with the blossoming of the almond trees. Major celebrations are conducted in the towns of Tejeda and Valsequillo, during which time locals and visitors enjoy almond wines and sweets (February).
• The Carnival linked to the Easter season begins around the end of February and sees festivities across the island, with particular emphasis on the towns of Las Palmas, San Bartolomé, Maspalomas, Agüimes, Agaete and Telde, with each town having its own specific events during this period (February/March).
• Rally El Corte Inglés is a motor event hailed as Gran Canaria’s biggest car rally. Every year the event attracts huge crowds of locals and visitors who come to see domestic and international competitors battle it out for a coveted title.
• The Bajada de la Rama festival is one of the oldest on the island and it sees locals carry pine branches from the mountains to the sea and beat the waves with them in an attempt to bring rain.