Santa Cruz Carnival 2026 Kicks Off With Queen Candidate Gala

The countdown to the Santa Cruz Carnival 2026 has officially started. This Friday, the city will kick off its most international festival with a grand opening gala. During this event, 32 hopefuls for the title of Carnival Queen – in adult, child, and senior categories – will discover the order in which they will compete.

The grand opening gala will begin at 9:30 PM on Paseo Teniente Francisco Grandi Giraud, in front of Plaza de España. There will be nearly 1,000 seats for the public. To get a seat, you'll need an invitation, which can be collected at the entrance on the day of the event, on a first-come, first-served basis, until full capacity is reached. Doors will open at 8:00 PM, according to the City Council.

Elvis Sanfiel will host this first event of the "Carnival of Latin Rhythms," which starts at 9:30 PM and will last just over an hour. A big highlight this year is that the gala will feature the largest representation of the Santa Cruz Carnival in history. To entertain the audience, the event will include performances by the 2025 Carnival Queens, Canarian artists like Anaé and Zaida Almeida, and Santa Cruz's carnival troupes.

Daniel Pages is directing the event, which Radio Televisión Canaria will broadcast live across the entire Archipelago.

Santa Cruz Mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, highlighted the event's importance. He said it's "an event that in recent years has been hugely popular with carnival-goers, and where we will meet all the queen candidates in an edition that is generating much excitement."

Meanwhile, Javier Caraballero, the Councillor for Festivities, thanked "the involvement of candidates, designers, sponsors, and families throughout these months." He added, "I am convinced that they will set this year's standard very high."