Son Latinos: How the first major festival in the Canary Islands changed the musical history of the islands
In the late 90s, the Son Latinos festival in Tenerife brought together hundreds of thousands of people for free Latin American music concerts for six years in a row, until environmental concerns forced its closure.
Can you imagine, the late 90s, concerts on the island were rare, and festivals were practically unheard of. And here on Tenerife, a huge crowd is already partying, dancing right in front of the Atlantic Ocean!
A massive stage on the sand, free admission – thanks to the support of the authorities, Spanish and Latin American stars, and also thousands of towels and umbrellas occupying space on the beach from early morning.
This simple but large-scale format, which was even broadcast on Canarian television, turned the south of the island into an epicenter of music. For six years in a row, Son Latinos rocked Las Vistas beach in Los Cristianos – one of the largest open-air music gatherings in the Canary Islands.
It all started on August 29, 1998. The organizers were Guagua Producciones, and they were assisted by the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo of Tenerife, and the Arona City Council. The idea was simple: to create a large Latin American music festival that would be "for everyone," and all for free.
The project was led by Leopoldo Mansito (his son, Leo Mansito, now organizes other festivals, such as Granca Live Fest), and he was assisted by journalist Martín Rivero.
In addition to music, Son Latinos also had a cultural program and an honorary committee. In 2000, it was headed by José Saramago himself, and the Son Latinos Prize was established, which was awarded to Mario Benedetti.
In total, over a million people rocked out to the best Spanish hits of those years.
But in 2004, the festival was canceled. The General Directorate of Coastal Protection did not give permission for Las Vistas, saying that the environment did not allow it.
Years later, when they wanted to bring the festival back, they remembered the environment again and refused again.
Environmentalists had been shouting almost from the very beginning that such a large concert was harmful to the beach, which has a "Blue Flag". Piles of garbage and impact on the environment – these problems surfaced when they tried to revive Son Latinos in 2014, but the coast guard did not give the go-ahead.
Son Latinos is not just a festival, it is history. Long before Granca Live Fest, Cook Music Fest, Sunblast, or WOMAD in Gran Canaria, it showed that the islands could gather hundreds of thousands of people for music.
For six years in a row, Las Vistas was a place where it was crowded and fun. And although ecology and bureaucracy silenced the festival, its echoes are still heard. Son Latinos was the first major festival in the Canary Islands, which opened the door for everything that followed.