Santa Cruz de Tenerife Unveils 2026 Carnival Poster "It is more beautiful to live dancing"
Héctor Expósito's poster, "It is more beautiful to live dancing," was unveiled for the 2026 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival after winning a public and jury vote, with the event celebrating Latin rhythms.
The Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, via its Fiestas de Santa Cruz department, has revealed the poster for the 2026 Carnival. The announcement was made during a street party in Calle de la Noria, featuring music from Orquesta Revelación and Dominican singer Manny Cruz.
The winning poster, titled "It is more beautiful to live dancing," was created by Héctor Expósito. It was chosen through a combined public and jury vote, with Expósito receiving a 12,000 euro prize.
Mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, congratulated the winner and noted the high level of public engagement, with nearly 20,000 votes cast on the city's official portal.
Javier Caraballero, the Councilor for Fiestas, praised Expósito's design, stating it was a popular choice that also impressed the jury and performed well on social media. He added that the poster perfectly captures the spirit of the carnival, which this year is dedicated to Latin rhythms.
The event in Calle de la Noria began at 8:30 PM and offered a glimpse of the 2026 Carnival. Attendees enjoyed performances by Orquesta Revelación, soloists from various Canary Islands orchestras, and Manny Cruz. During the three-and-a-half-hour show, Cruz performed songs that are part of the carnival's soundtrack and celebrate Latin music.
Héctor Expósito's poster secured 34.3% of the 19,886 votes cast on www.carnavaldetenerife.com, totaling 6,828 votes. This, combined with the jury's score, gave it an overall score of 7.85. Other posters and their vote counts were: Don Cartón pintado (6,398 votes), Desde bien lejitos vengo (4,411), El mismo latido (1,599), and Tumbao y son (650).
The public vote took place from October 20th to October 30th, with one vote allowed per IP address. The voting process was anonymous, meaning participants did not see how each poster was performing.
The final scores for the other four shortlisted posters, including both jury and public votes, were: Don Cartón Pintao (6.57), El mismo latido (5.41), Desde bien lejitos vengo (4.93), and Tumbao y son (1.22).
The jury consisted of several professionals appointed by the City Council: Alejandro Tosco (visual artist), Patricia Delgado (graphic artist), Patricia Hodgson (fine arts graduate and teacher), Alexis Santana (designer), Leo Martínez (fashion and costume designer), Daniel Pages (graphic designer and artistic director for the 2026 Carnival), Paula Álvarez (marketing and communication professional and artistic director for the 2026 Carnival), and Yeray Piñero (performing arts producer and artistic director for the 2026 Carnival).