Hundreds of visitors celebrated the Noche de San Juan in Puerto de la Cruz on Monday night. Music, bonfires and getting together with friends took centre stage at this new event.
The event took place for the first time at Playa Martiánez, following three weeks of improvement works there and the refurbishment of the access to the sea. The city council chose this location in order to protect Playa Jardín, which had only reopened a week earlier following an eleven-month closure due to sewage contamination.
The organisers wanted to preserve the tradition of the San Juan celebrations whilst also making the beach accessible for the summer. Despite the smaller venue, several thousand people gathered around Martiánez, performed rituals and bathed in the sea as a symbolic act of purification. Some students burnt their documents, whilst others wrote down their wishes and worries on pieces of paper, which they threw into the fire.
San Juan celebrations on Tenerife with music and traditions
Many visitors spent the night on the beach, some in tents, others on beach chairs with well-stocked cool boxes. At the start of the Paseo de Martiánez, the ‚Voces en la Distancia‘ concert took place, paying tribute to hits from the 1980s. Later, DJ Danny Méndez got everyone dancing under the starry sky.
At around 9 pm, a batucada paraded along the beach, entertaining the guests, before the huge bonfire at the far end of the beach was lit at 10 pm. Security staff ensured that the celebrations went off without a hitch and that the aim of the event – a magical night spent together – was achieved.
The celebrations to mark the start of summer began in Puerto de la Cruz as early as the afternoon, with the decoration of historic fountains with flowers and seasonal fruit. This tradition harks back to a time when the locals used to draw their water directly from natural springs.
On Tuesday, families and local associations continue to decorate the fountains, watched by neighbours and tourists. Palm fronds, oranges, lemons, apples, watermelons, peppers, pumpkins and tomatoes adorn the fountains at Cuaco, Cupido, El Durazno, Calle Blanco, Las Maretas, Mequinez, the fountain at the harbour and the one in Punta Brava. Each fountain represents a part of Puerto de la Cruz’s identity.
San Juan and the traditions of the Canary Islands
Other towns in the region also celebrate San Juan. In San Juan de la Rambla, for example, the mass and the procession are followed by the „Resonar del Bucio“, a torchlight procession from the Risco de Mazapé. In Icod de los Vinos, flowers are gathered for the traditional Hachitos and a fireworks display is held.
In La Caleta de Interián, between Garachico and Los Silos, there was the lighting of the ‚hachitos‘ (bonfires), fireworks, concerts, as well as mojitos and fresh fruit. The celebrations there continued until midnight, when the traditional dip took place, followed by dancing to the music of the Orquesta Guaracha and DJ Chris Hernández.
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