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Many of the larger carnivals like the famous one in Rio de Janeiro and the carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife were held on the official carnival weekend of 13th and 14th February. Santa Cruz claims to host one of the biggest carnivals after Rio and this year the capital city of Tenerife had four live stages, an 84,000 Watt sound system and lighting rigs totaling almost 140,000 of power.

But the carnival celebrations in the Canary Islands were not finished until a little later on in the season. As the nearby island of Gran Canaria held its main celebrations in Las Palmas during the first half of February, the resort of Maspalomas in the south of the island were still preparing for its own carnival which ran between the 2nd and 12th of March.

Maspalomas is the holiday resort right at the foot of Gran Canaria and is the place that features in many photographs that show a desert like region, where you can even take a camel ride. The sand dunes resemble the real dunes of the Sahara that are only a few hundred miles away in North Africa. Maspalomas is also well know for its gay scene and any fiestas like the annual carnival are celebrated with enthusiasm.

This year the carnival queen was crowned on Saturday 4th March in the evening, but on the 10th of March things really got into full swing with the nomination of the Drag Queen and the special celebration of Tourists Day. If you happened to be a tourist in Maspalomas on that day, then you were sure to receive special treatment. The locals cooked up a huge paella, enough to feed two thousand people and the celebrations continued late into the night with music and dancing. The main procession followed the next evening on 11th March before the traditional Burying of the Sardine concluded festivities until next year.