Santa Cruz Carnival 2026: Trams Carry Record 458,129 Passengers

Public transport once again proved its ability to handle big city events during the Santa Cruz Carnival in 2026. Metrotenerife reported that its special double tram service carried 458,129 passengers. This was a 13% increase in demand from the previous year, meaning 52,256 more journeys were made.

This high number of passengers shows that more and more people are choosing public transport for large events. This helps keep traffic moving and improves public safety. The rise in numbers was partly due to a significant 28% increase in transport use during the Piñata Saturday Day Carnival. There was also a 6.6% jump in night-time demand for Line 1. The operation also saw more people using digital payments and had no major problems.

Looking at how passengers used the service throughout the carnival, there was a clear upward trend. In the first part of the carnival, from February 13 to 17, 289,243 journeys were recorded, up from 255,000 the year before. The Piñata weekend alone saw 168,886 journeys, compared to 150,500 in the previous year. As usual, the busiest days were Carnival Friday, with 89,500 users, and Piñata Friday, which had 80,500 passengers.

Breaking down the numbers, the Piñata Saturday Day Carnival saw a 28% increase in passengers. Also, the La Paz tram stop saw an 8.2% rise in night-time users. Digital payment is becoming very popular, with over 44% of carnival-goers using the ten+móvil app for their night journeys.

The special tram service, which used double trams and extra staff, ran smoothly without any major issues. This was thanks to good teamwork between Metrotenerife, the National Police, and the local police forces of Santa Cruz and La Laguna.