TEA Tenerife Named Top Canary Islands Cultural Institution

TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, the contemporary art center in Tenerife's capital, has been named the top cultural institution in the Canary Islands. This announcement came from the Fundación Contemporánea in Santander during an event held at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria on Thursday.

At the same event, where the "Best of Culture 2025" report (supported by CREA SGR) was unveiled, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía received the "Cultural Insignia of Spain 2025." Awards were also given to the leading cultural projects in each of Spain's autonomous communities.

In the Canary Islands, TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes climbed 10 spots to secure the top position. Tied for second place are the Phe Festival in Puerto de la Cruz and the Teatro Cuyás in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The Boreal Festival, held in Los Silos, is a new entry, sharing fourth place with four other cultural initiatives.

Sergio Rubira, TEA's artistic director, accepted the regional award. He stated that it "endorses the entire team's effort to establish the museum as a welcoming space for critical thinking, open to the public and constantly engaging with its surroundings."

According to the Fundación Contemporánea, the top 10 cultural experiences in the Canary Islands are:

• TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
• Phe Festival
• Teatro Cuyás
• Boreal Festival
• Auditorio de Tenerife
• Canary Islands Music Festival
• Temudas Fest (Gran Canaria)
• Masdanza (Gran Canaria)
• Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (Gran Canaria)
• Mueca, the International Street Art Festival of Puerto de la Cruz.

Nationally, the Canary Islands ranked 12th among all Spanish communities. Among cities, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was 25th, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was 27th.

On the national stage, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, which also received the regional award for the Community of Madrid, leads the list. It is followed by:

• Museo Nacional del Prado
• San Sebastián International Film Festival (holding third place)
• Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
• Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
• Teatro Real
• CaixaForum
• Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
• Fundación Juan March (tied with Málaga Festival and Matadero Madrid, which moved up four spots from 2024).

The "Best of Culture 2025" report also highlights individual artistic projects. Nationally, Rosalía's album LUX was recognized, while Óliver Laxe's film 'Sirat' was noted in the Galician ranking.

A separate category, "The Essentials," groups diverse national cultural projects by type. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía again tops this list, which also features:

• CaixaForum
• Teatro Real
• San Sebastián Festival
• Sónar + D
• ARCOMadrid
• Almagro International Classical Theatre Festival
• Madrid Book Fair.

Finally, the Fundación Contemporánea introduced a new online platform, lomejordelacultura.com, at Thursday's event. Designed as an illustrated guide, it features nearly 600 cultural proposals from across Spain, drawn from the latest annual rankings. Users can search by location, date, and artistic discipline, with the added benefit of recommendations from cultural professionals.