Party, party... party!

NIGHTLIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS

I promise you that the people from the Canary Islands are very happy, open and social people that love to party and have fun. Every occasion is a good excuse to dance and drink beer! There are various festivals in the different towns and villages of the island that keep years and years of traditions alive. The Carnival is one of the most loved festivals by the islanders and it is celebrated throughout the whole of the month of February.

Normally, the nightlife in Las Palmas is active mainly at the weekend, from Thursday to Saturday.

As an exception to this rule, on Wednesdays I went to a little club called Urban, two minutes from Parque di Santa Catalina (a busy seafront), which is where you can find Limbo Bar, a meeting point for young adults open until 2 am at night. It's a cheap place where you can drink something whilst you wait for the club downstairs to open.

On Thursdays, with the other Erasmus students and with my housemate, I would go to Vegueta (the oldest part of the city) to do the Ruta de Pinchos (pincho walk; a route along which you can try lots of different bar snacks). Vegueta is the historic centre of Las Palmas where you will find the fifteenth-century Cathedral of Santa Ana. It is near to the bourgeois area of Triana with its charming streets full of wonderful shops and exclusive boutiques where you can make some excellent purchases!

On Thursday night, starting at eight o'clock in the evening, the medieval streets of Vegueta are filled with people of all ages who meet to eat tapas, drink, sing and listen to live music! There are all kinds of tapas and they are very cheap, only one euro! After you finish the Pinchos Route, there are bars and clubs where you can go to dance. I highly recommend going to Paper Club which I think is perhaps the best nightclub in Las Palmas even if they only play pop music and reggaeton.

On Friday evenings, I usually went to Fortuni, another nightclub near Parque de Santa Catalina with evenings of techno and minimal music, perhaps the only nightclub besides the Marea Baja that offers this music in Las Palmas! Before going to the club, people would go to drink in a nearby restaurant, such as the Camaleon Cubatas Bar where, for only five euros, you could get a litre of your choice of cocktail!

There are other clubs nearby where you can go, such as Mojito in the Santa Catalina area and Sotavento heading towards Vegueta.

On Saturday evenings, we went to the music square, where you will find the auditorium. It's a large square with three bars, an 80s-90s bar, the aforementioned Baja Sopra and the Mojo Club which offers alternative music, various DJ sets and live concerts.

Alternatively, a different way to start Saturday evening would be to follow the Ruta Playa Viva, a route of concerts that starts at five o'clock in the evening in Guarida, a bar in the Playa Chica area (Las Canteras), or in another bar in Guanarteme in Plaza Pilar, and ends at midnight in the music plaza. It's a nice initiative and you can find some really good artists!

There are many bars that offer live music and beers for only one euro, on Sundays as well as Saturdays.

For those interested in Las Palmas you could also find some CSCs (Cannabis Social Club). It seemed to me that there were around five in total in the city. If you live in the Guanarteme area you should go to CSC Maryflor, although I believe the cheapest would be the CSC Mambo on Las Canteras (Puntilla area), although it is not always open.

In addition, for those more peaceful, on Sunday morning in Parque de Santa Catalina, there are events and exhibitions for fashion, food or crafts that are always organised. They often set up a small and very cheap market with second-hand stalls. However, I recommend going shopping in the Triana area or at the Las Arenas shopping centre near the Auditorium near the beach. You can browse through the typical shops (Bershka, H&M etc. ), numerous sports shops (Sport Zone, Adidas etc. ), Mediaworld, Cinema and a huge Carrefour where you will find all kinds of food, including ready-made meals. Many supermarkets will bring your shopping to you either for free or for a small fee.