Cabalgata and Coso 2027: how to see the two great parades of the Tenerife Carnival
The street carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has two great parades. The Cabalgata Anunciadora opens it on Friday 19 February 2027, and the Coso Apoteosis crowns it on Tuesday 23 February 2027. Both are free to watch, both fill the centre of the capital with music, floats and groups in costume, and both are far easier to enjoy if you know in advance where they run and how you will get home.
This guide explains what each parade is, what has already been announced for 2027, how the parades ran in 2026, and how to get to Santa Cruz and back from the resorts in the south of the island. Every figure comes from the City Council or from the Canary Islands press, and each one is linked to its source.
Why the 2027 carnival is two weeks later than usual
The carnival follows the calendar of Lent, so in a normal year Carnival Tuesday 2027 would have been 9 February (RTVC). Santa Cruz City Council moved the whole carnival two weeks later. The reason is practical: the Recinto Ferial, the exhibition centre where the stage for the galas and contests is built, hosts the Christmas children's fair (Parque Infantil y Juvenil de Tenerife) until 6 January, which would have left about 48 hours to clear it and build the stage. The council said that was not viable, as Diario de Avisos reported in March 2026.
According to the programme published by Diario de Avisos, these are the key dates:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Opening gala | Friday 22 January 2027 |
| Carnival Queen gala | Wednesday 17 February 2027 |
| Cabalgata Anunciadora | Friday 19 February 2027 |
| Coso Apoteosis | Tuesday 23 February 2027 |
| Last day of the street carnival | Sunday 28 February 2027 |
The 2027 theme is Roma Eterna: El Imperio del Carnaval ("Eternal Rome: the Empire of Carnival"), chosen by the city's Fiestas body (Diario de Avisos).
What has not been published yet. As of November 2026, the City Council has not announced the start times or the routes of the 2027 parades, and the bus company TITSA and the tram have not published their carnival timetables. They usually do so in the days before. The times and streets in this guide are those of the 2026 parades, given as a reference, not as the 2027 schedule. Check the official website, carnavaldetenerife.com, before you go.
The Cabalgata Anunciadora: Friday 19 February 2027
The Cabalgata Anunciadora, the "announcing parade", is the official start of the carnival in the street. It is an evening parade: in 2026 it started at 19:30 (Diario de Avisos).
In 2026 it was opened by the Afilarmónica Ni Fú Ni Fá, and behind it came the children's groups, the Carnival Queen with the children's and the seniors' queens, murgas, comparsas, music groups, floats and decorated cars: almost a hundred groups. RTVC, the Canary Islands public broadcaster, put the attendance at more than 80,000 people, counting participants and public.
The 2026 route. The groups gathered on Avenida de Bélgica and the parade set off from Plaza de la República Dominicana. From there it ran along Avenida de la Asunción, Ramón y Cajal, Galcerán, Plaza de Weyler, Méndez Núñez, El Pilar, Villalba Hervás and La Marina, and finished on Avenida Francisco La Roche (Diario de Avisos).
Street closures start in the morning. In 2026, parking was banned from 07:00 on Avenida de Madrid, Ramón y Cajal and Duggi, and the streets of the route closed in stages through the day, with Méndez Núñez, El Pilar, Villalba Hervás, Marítima, Francisco La Roche and La Marina closed from 18:00 (Diario de Avisos traffic guide).
Accessible viewing areas. In 2026 the council set aside a quiet area for people with autism spectrum disorder on Méndez Núñez, between Numancia and El Pilar, and an area for people with reduced mobility on Méndez Núñez at the corner of Pi y Margall.
After the parade the night is not over: the Cabalgata is also the first night of the street dances.
The Coso Apoteosis: Tuesday 23 February 2027
The Coso Apoteosis is the grand parade of Carnival Tuesday, the moment when the carnival groups, floats and queens parade together through the city, starting in the afternoon. In 2026 it started at 16:00 and ran along Avenida Francisco La Roche and Avenida Marítima, the avenues along the seafront. Every carnival group takes part (comparsas, rondallas, murgas, costume groups, floats and decorated cars), and it was broadcast live on Televisión Canaria (Diario de Avisos, RTVC).
In 2026 the council put 6,500 free chairs along the route, plus stands for 1,300 people. The council has not yet said how many there will be in 2027.
Tuesday 23 February 2027 is a local public holiday in Santa Cruz, approved by the City Council and published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands in August 2026 (RTVC, Diario de Avisos). La Laguna has also moved its Carnival Tuesday from 9 to 23 February to match it (RTVC).
The Coso draws people from the whole island. In 2026 more than 250 coaches of visitors were expected that day, and about 10,000 people travelled by bus from the north and the south of Tenerife (RTVC).
Cabalgata or Coso: which one to choose
- The Cabalgata is an evening parade, and it opens the party: when it ends, the street dances begin. Bring a light jacket, because February nights in Santa Cruz are cool.
- The Coso starts in the afternoon and is the grand finale, with every group of the carnival. With young children it is the easier of the two.
How to get there from the south of Tenerife
Most visitors stay in Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas or Los Cristianos, about an hour from Santa Cruz along the TF-1 motorway when there is no traffic. On parade days the city centre is closed to cars for hours, and the City Council strongly recommends public transport (Diario de Avisos).
Carnival bus from your hotel. CanaryVIP runs a return bus from your hotel to Santa Cruz on both parade days: the Cabalgata on Friday 19 February 2027, with the bus back at 23:00, and the Coso on Tuesday 23 February 2027, with the bus back at 19:00. The pick-up time depends on your hotel. Adults €50, children €30, and free cancellation up to 20 days before the trip. See the dates and book the carnival bus
Public bus (TITSA). In 2026, TITSA ran a special plan from 13 to 21 February with 4,200 extra trips and more than 300,000 extra seats on about twenty lines. From the south, lines 111 and 711, between Santa Cruz and Costa Adeje, had extra night services, and on Carnival Tuesday the buses ran a weekday timetable with more frequent services to the capital (Diario de Avisos). The 2027 plan will be on titsa.com closer to the date. For how the island's buses work, see our public transport guide.
Tram. If you are staying in La Laguna or the north, the tram runs a special carnival service. In 2026, on the evening of the Cabalgata, it ran double units every 10 to 15 minutes and closed the Weyler stop, which is on the route (Diario de Avisos).
Car. If you drive, the car park of the Intercambiador, the main bus station, has 1,421 spaces. In 2026 it stayed open 24 hours on the carnival Friday, Saturday and Monday, and until 03:00 on Coso day (Diario de Avisos). And if you are going to drink, don't drive.
Taxi. In 2026 there were special taxi ranks on Víctor Zurita Soler, San Sebastián, Miraflores and El Pilar.
Practical tips
- No glass. In 2026, bottles and glass containers were not allowed into the carnival area, and the police checked the entrances (Diario de Avisos).
- Agree on a meeting point in case you get separated, and put a wristband with your phone number on children.
- First aid. The carnival field hospital is set up in Plaza de España. For emergencies call 112; the Local Police number is 092.
- Lost property goes to the Local Police, Avenida Tres de Mayo 79, phone 922 606 354.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Cabalgata and the Coso in 2027?
The Cabalgata Anunciadora is on Friday 19 February 2027 and the Coso Apoteosis on Tuesday 23 February 2027.
What time do they start?
The 2027 times have not been published yet. In 2026 the Cabalgata started at 19:30 and the Coso at 16:00.
Do I need a ticket to watch?
No. Both parades take place in the street and are free to watch. Tickets are only needed for the galas and contests at the Recinto Ferial.
Is there a bus from the south?
Yes. TITSA lines 111 and 711 link Costa Adeje and Santa Cruz, and in 2026 they had extra services for the carnival. CanaryVIP also runs a return bus from your hotel on both parade days.
Is Carnival Tuesday a holiday?
Yes. Tuesday 23 February 2027 is a local public holiday in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
For the full programme, the Carnival Queen gala and the history of the carnival, see our guide to the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2027.
Sources: Diario de Avisos, RTVC and the official carnival website, consulted in November 2026. Cover photo: the Coso Apoteosis on Carnival Tuesday in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, by Joslumefe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
