Fuerteventura Events, Fiestas and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain)

Fiestas and celebrations are plentiful on the island of Fuerteventura, where you will find a comprehensive calendar of events, popular with both locals and tourists.

Amongst the most popular festivals in Fuerteventura, both the February carnivals and Easter Holy Week celebrations are known for their colourful parades. Other popular festivals and events in Fuerteventura include the Corpus Christi festivities and Fuerteventura Music Festival each June, the International Jazz Festival in July, and Fuerteventura's International Kite Festival in November - which lasts for three days and attracts large crowds.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - Ano Nuevo / New Year's Day
• 5th January - Epifania / Epiphany
• 19th March - Dia de San José / St. Joseph's Day
• Late March or early April - Jueves Santo / Maundy Thursday
• Late March or early April - Viernes Santo / Good Friday
• 1st May - Fiesta del Trabajo / Labour Day
• 15th August - La Asunción / Feast of the Assumption
• 12th October - Nacional de Espana / National Day
• 1st November - Todos los Santos / All Saints' Day
• 6th December - Dia de la Constitución / Constitution Day
• 8th December - La Inmaculada Concepción / Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• 25th December - Navidad / Christmas Day

Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Cabalgata de los Reyes (Three Holy Kings / Wise Men) - January 5th, an event related to Christmas time, with 'Three Kings' parading around Puerto del Rosario and other notable towns, followed by decorated floats, handing out sweets to the crowds of onlooking children lining the streets. Similar events are held across the Canary Islands and Spain on this day each year.

February

• Carnaval - mid-February / early March - various exciting carnival events take place across the island of Fuerteventura at this time of the year, attracting thousands of visitors who join in the fun and partying. With Carnival Queens and a number of parades, fair grounds and food stalls are never far away. Carnivals are held each year in many of the island's largest towns and villages, including Antigua, Betancuria, Costa Calma, La Lajita, Morro Jable and Corralejo, Pajara, Tuineje, and Puerto del Rosario - which also holds a popular raft race along the coastline.

March

• Holy Week / Semana Santa - mid-March, Holy Week in Fuerteventura, with numerous religious celebrations and processions over the island, leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

April

• There are no significant festivals and events in Fuerteventura during the month of April.

May

• Dia de la Cruz (Day of the Cross) - early May, with major festivities throughout the island, centred around public plazas, including crosses decorated with flowers (Cruces de Mayo), dancing and traditional costumes.

June

• Corpus Christi - mid-June, a religious Catholic event, where many streets are lined with flowers, which are laid to form intricate patterns and biblical pictures.
• Fuertemúsica / Fuerteventura Music Festival - late June / early July, held in El Cotillo, a popular summer festival attracting many famous bands and musicians from around Europe, with numerous outdoor concerts and musical events.

July

• Dia de San Buenaventura - July 14th, celebrations honouring the Patron Saint of Batencuria town, close to the very centre of the island.
• Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz and Mas Heineken (International Jazz Festival) - mid-July, lasting approximately three weeks, with a range of jazz concerts and gigs across the island, with many prestigious international jazz musicians. Similar events are held on many of the other Canary Islands in July.

August

• There are no significant festivals and events in Fuerteventura during the month of August.

September

• Feast Day on Nuestra Senora del Pino - early September, a religious festival held in the large village of Antigua, located in the very heart of the island.

October

• Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario - early October, held in Puerto del Rosario each year on the first Sunday of October, various festivities celebrate the Patron Saint of Fuerteventura's capital.
• Dia de la Hispanidad / National Day Festival - October 12th, a public holiday celebrating the history of Spain, with many lively events and parties around the island of Fuerteventura.

November

• International Kite Festival - mid-November, a famous three-day festival which attracts some of the best 'kiters' from all over Europe. The kite festival is based around the sands of the Playa del Burro beach, to the south of Fuerteventura's resort of Corralejo, on the island's northern coast. Around 250 kites are on display during the event, with many impressive flying demonstrations.

December

• New Year's Eve - December 31st, with parties and celebrations throughout the island, particularly in Puerto del Rosario, which offers a superb fireworks display along the coast at midnight, heralding the arrival of the new year.