Tenerife Council Slams Arona Over Public Land Circus

The Tenerife Island Council gave some public land in central Los Cristianos to the Arona Town Council in August and September. The Island Council agreed to the request from the southern town, believing from the application that the land would be used for local government activities.

However, an official sent by the Island Council to check on the land's use found a surprise: a circus was operating there, charging admission, and run by a private company.

The Island Council has since criticized the Arona Town Council for misusing these plots, which are located between the Los Cristianos swimming pool and the San Simón shopping center, facing Chayofita Avenue and Arenales Street.

The Island Council is unhappy that the land was used for a profit-making activity. In a letter to Arona's Department of Festivals, which had requested permission to use the land temporarily, the Island Council's Department of Mobility warned that "private use or special operation of public land always requires a fee or public charge," as stated in laws governing local finances and fees.

According to this letter, dated August 7 and responding to a request for an extension, the Town Council's "request has nothing to do with reality." The report further states, "The activity being carried out has not been disclosed to this Island Council, as the landowner, especially since the Town Council is aware that this type of request from companies or individuals has always received a negative response."

Arona's Department of Festivals had requested these plots, stating they would be used "to develop a series of cultural and social revitalization activities for all ages, with a special focus on families, children, and young people in the municipality." They claimed these activities would "promote healthy leisure, community participation, social cohesion, and access to traveling artistic proposals of a recreational and educational nature."

Alexis Gómez, the Arona Councilor for Festivals who submitted the request, admits he knew from the start that a circus charging admission would be set up and that the appropriate fees were not requested from the company. He explained, "We requested those plots as we had done before for other related activities, such as Christmas and Carnival events, and we used the same arguments as in previous letters." However, he added that he was unaware a profit-making activity could not be organized on that land.

Gómez denies acting to benefit a private company, the producer of the "Extreme" circus, which tours Spain. The circus promotes "extreme risk acrobatics that defy gravity and an unprecedented visual display of laser lights, drones, special effects, and an LED wall that transforms the stage into a futuristic universe."

"In the Department of Festivals, we receive many offers for all types of events, and all we try to do is put together a good revitalization program, never to benefit anyone in particular," the municipal government member clarified. Alexis Gómez, who also heads the Security department, emphasized that he misunderstood the Island Council's letter and concluded with a promise that "it will not happen again."

In the same report, the Tenerife Island Council granted the Town Council an extension for the circus's stay in Los Cristianos but made it clear that no further requests of this kind would be approved if a private show was planned for the land. The Councilor for Mobility, Eulalia García, explained that the one-week extension was accepted "to avoid further harm since the circus had already sold tickets for those days."

García noted that these plots are reserved for the future Los Cristianos bus interchange, which will also serve as a station for the Southern train. She admitted the project is delayed "due to its enormous complexity," as parts of Juan Carlos I and Chayofita avenues will need to be buried to integrate it into the urban area.

She concluded, "We will continue to offer our cooperation to the Arona Town Council, as with any other council, but they must understand that they cannot request our property for profit-making purposes."