Gran Canaria does not have a single season: it has several, and each brings a festival that explains something about the island. Winter belongs to the summits in blossom, spring to shepherds’ cheese, summer to the rite of the Rama and the end of summer to the pilgrimage to Teror. These are the dates worth planning a trip around.

We give a date only when tradition sets it. For everything else, we give the time of year and point you to each year’s official programme.

The essentials

  • February–March: the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and almond blossom in the summits.
  • Spring: the Queso de Flor de Guía cheese festival.
  • 4 August: the Bajada de la Rama, in Agaete.
  • 8 September: the day of the Pino, in Teror.
  • Information as of October 2026; always check the official programme.

Winter: blossom in the summits and Carnival

Between late January and February, depending on each year’s weather, the almond trees blossom in Tejeda, Valsequillo and Artenara. Tejeda then holds its Almond Blossom Festival (Fiesta del Almendro en Flor), a Festival of National Tourist Interest, with the summits turned white and pink. It is the most serene date in the calendar: an early start, a walk among the almond trees and an unhurried drive back down.

Between February and March, depending on the year, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria celebrates its Carnival, a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 2023, with the main stage in the Parque de Santa Catalina. It is the opposite of calm — weeks of galas and long nights — but also one of the city’s most genuine expressions. How to enjoy the rest of the cool season is in Gran Canaria in winter.

Spring: Guía cheese

In spring, usually between April and May, Santa María de Guía holds the Fiesta del Queso de Flor de Guía, of Canary Islands Tourist Interest. Its star is a shepherds’ cheese curdled with cardoon flower, one of the island’s most singular products. We tell its story in Queso de Flor de Guía.

Summer: the Rama of Agaete

On 4 August, Agaete celebrates the Bajada de la Rama, a Festival of National Tourist Interest since 1972: locals and visitors come down into the town with branches brought from the pine forests above, in a rite of ancient origin. It draws tens of thousands of people — more than 50,000 in 2025. To see Agaete calmly the rest of the year, read Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves.

End of summer: the Pino of Teror

On 8 September, Teror celebrates the feast of the Virgen del Pino, patron saint of Gran Canaria. The Fiestas del Pino, of National Tourist Interest, are the island’s great religious and popular gathering, with pilgrims walking in from across Gran Canaria. The story of the town and its basilica is in Teror and the Virgen del Pino.

Getting there

Gran Canaria’s airport (LPA) is at Gando, on the east coast, between Las Palmas and the south. From there, every option for reaching each part of the island is in our airport-to-hotel guide, and for getting about afterwards, see getting around Gran Canaria. Around the big dates — Carnival, the Rama, the Pino — book accommodation well ahead and expect traffic restrictions.

Our approach

We fix only the dates set by tradition (4 August and 8 September). Everything else changes every year: check the official programme from the town hall or the Cabildo before booking. Information as of October 2026.