Candelaria welcomes thousands of pilgrims for the festival of the patron saint of the Canary Islands.

Today in the town of Candelaria is a big holiday – honoring the patron saint of the Canary Islands. Yesterday and last night, many pilgrims flocked here, estimated by the city council to be around 100,000 people. The most important religious events will take place today.

Everything will begin at 9 a.m. in the basilica. There, drummers will meet, and the cultural association La Guanchería from Los Realejos will bring their gifts. An hour later, participants of the athletic march will arrive – more than 600 runners from Santa Cruz. They will greet the Virgin, holding palm branches in their hands, when they arrive at the square near the basilica.

At 10:45 a military parade will take place, and 45 minutes later a civil procession will pass through the square, where the patron saint of the Canary Islands is honored. They will be accompanied by the musical group Las Candelas.

The solemn mass will be celebrated for the first time by the new Bishop of Tenerife, Eloy Alberto Santiago. He will replace Bernardo Álvarez in this position. As every year, musical accompaniment will be provided by the choir Voces para la Esperanza Villa de Candelaria and the Las Candelas chamber orchestra.

After the mass, there will be a procession with the Virgin of Candelaria around the square. She will be accompanied by the musical groups Las Candelas and a new group from Igueste. When the statue returns to the basilica, a traditional fireworks display will be held in the sky above Candelaria.

The authorities of Tenerife and Candelaria began coordinating security measures yesterday. 600 people are involved to ensure order during the walking pilgrimage. You can only walk along the old road (TF-28) and the historic Camino Viejo de Candelaria, as there is a high risk of forest fires. Although, fortunately, it was not so hot yesterday.

400 people from the Department of Nature Protection are working from the Tenerife authorities. They coordinate work with the technical security service, civil defense, the forest fire prevention service, the environmental inspection, firefighters and the departments of transport and roads.

These 400 people are joined by another 200 from other organizations. The work of the Civil Guard is particularly important, which has developed a large-scale operation to protect people participating in the pilgrimage.

More than 150 Civil Guard officers will perform various public order tasks. The operation takes into account warnings about the risk of forest fires, which remains relevant due to the high temperature. Therefore, passage on forest roads is prohibited.

The operation, organized by the Tenerife authorities, is coordinated with the actions of other organizations: the Candelaria City Council, the local police of Candelaria, Santa Cruz, El Rosario and Tacoronte, as well as employees of the Civil Guard, the National Police and the Autonomous Police.

Security measures are also supported by the General Directorates for Security and Emergency Situations of the Government of the Canary Islands, the Canary Emergency Service, Cecoes 112, the Red Cross and volunteers from civil defense groups. A field hospital has been set up near the medical center to provide assistance if needed.

The company Endesa, through its subsidiary e-distribución, announced yesterday that it has launched an emergency action plan. It aims to reduce the risk of power outages in Tenerife during the celebration of the Virgin of Candelaria.

As the planned events are very important to people and a large number of visitors are expected, a special plan has been developed. It is designed to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the transformer substations that supply the areas where the events take place. In the event of a breakdown, the power supply will be restored as soon as possible, the company said.