La Palma
The town of Tazacorte holds a most unusual celebration each year: the “Caballos Fufos” sees a procession of dancing men in white attire and panama hats, joyously cavorting atop horses built using a cane frame and decorated with rainbow-coloured crêpe paper – all led, naturally, by a giraffe. A tradition dating back over a hundred years, the event takes place on the 28th September.
One of the most famous celebrations in La Palma is the “Fiestas Lustrales de la Bajada de la Virgen de las Nieves”, which takes place every five years, during the months of July and August. The island’s patron saint, the Virgen de las Nieves is carried down from her hillside sanctuary to the island capital of Santa Cruz. Associated spectacles and parades span various weeks, including the iconic Danza de los Enanos (Dance of the Dwarves) and the Danza of the Mascarones (Dance of the Giants and “Cabezudos” (Bigheads)). The next event is set to take place in 2025.
The annual highlight is the “Los Indianos”: an entirely unique take on the annual carnival celebrations, where the town dresses up in white, elegant period costume, complete with travel cases, panamas and parasols - and a great deal of talcum powder. Between mojitos and Cuban rhythms, this is a highly joyous and rather burlesque reenactment of the celebrated return to the island of local emigrants, who during a significant period of scarcity in the mid-nineteenth century, were obliged to abandon the island, subsequently making their fortune in the Caribbean.
An all-day event, great transport services to and from the festivities are provided each year by the local government.
Various other local and agricultural events take place during the year, ask in the marina office for more information, or have a browse through https://www.visitlapalma.es/