One of the more esoteric events on Tenerife this Autumn was the Tenerife Tattoo Fest, which took place for the second time this year on the 7th and 8th November.

The origins of the tattoo are said to date back many thousands of years, to times when body painting was a normal part of society. The explorer Captain Cook is credited with bringing the tradition of the tattoo back to the Western World when he returned from a voyage to Polynesia and re-introduced the tattoo, which is now considered by different people as a symbol of individuality, creativeness, strength or simply as an art form in itself. Recently a number of tattoo conventions that have been organised in different locations as vehicles for people with a passion for the tattoo to get together. Tattooing has seen a resurgence recently and is now a key element of today's pop culture.

In 2008 the organisers of the Tenerife Tattoo Fest claim to have assembled some of the best tattooists in the world when more than 5,000 people came to see what was going on. Given the success of the first event a second tattoo fest was organised and took place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

This year's two day festival also included a range of associated activities such as a display of customised motorbikes, a skateboarding championship, an exhibition of graffiti art and body painting. There was also a choice of concerts and for motor racing fans a Formula 1 Simulator. The live music offerings continued all day with performances from various bands and dj's. In the 'Area Tattoo', more than 100 international tattoo artists showed their different skills and invited visitors to receive a tattoo during the event. The different styles on display included traditional, new school, dark, bio-mechanics and tribal. The Tenerife Tattoo Fest was held in the centre of Santa Cruz at the Pabellon Municipal Ana Bautista, a sports center named after a famous gymnast born on Tenerife who won various championships during the 1980's.

If the thought of a tattoo festival is not your cup of tea, then something more palatable may be the annual Almond Fair at Aripe, Guia de Isora. This traditional celebration took place on 25th October between 10am and 2pm in the town's Plaza de San Pedro.