San Cristobal de La Laguna is preparing these days to receive hundreds of visitors on the occasion of the Festivals of Christ. The Local Police, on its Twitter account, has announced the traffic disturbances which will take place this Friday in the city of Tenerife. “Today, due to the celebration of the Christ Festival, there will be traffic disruptions in some parts of La Laguna,” begins the Police.
Starting at 3:00 p.m., the circulation of vehicles will be prohibited on all roads that converge on the Supreme Board Plaza.
From 7:00 p.m., parking is prohibited on all sides of the street. Adelantado Square and the circulation of vehicles will be prohibited on the roads that allow access to it from 9:00 p.m.
⚠️ Today, on the occasion of the celebration of the Festival of Christ, there will be traffic alterations in some points of #The lagoon.
🕓 Starting at 4:00 p.m., the circulation of vehicles will be prohibited on all roads that converge at the Plaza Junta Suprema. pic.twitter.com/gcecXV8B9O
– Local Police LL (@policialalaguna) September 8, 2023
The 2023 program will offer nearly 60 activities, which will be divided between cinema, sports, music, humor, poetry, exhibitions and religious veneration of the sacred image, which arrived on the island from Flanders more than five centuries ago.
The mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, highlighted the stature of the numerous artists and groups that will enhance this festivity such as Effect Pasillo, Pedro Guerra, María del Monte or Los Sabandeños. Comedy will once again be well represented in the comedy nights, in which great talents from the Canary Islands such as Kike Pérez, Petite Lorena or Abubukaka will take part.
The starting point of these Festivities of the Holy Christ of La Laguna 2023 was this Thursday, September 7, at 8:30 p.m., with the reading of the traditional proclamation in the Royal Sanctuary of said image. This year it had the signature of Paulino Rivero, former president of the Government of the Canary Islands and current president of the Tenerife Sports Club.
From there, numerous activities will take place daily that will be distributed between the main stage located in the Plaza del Cristo, the Teatro Leal, the Plaza del Adelantado or the old convent of Santo Domingo, among other lagoon enclaves. You can now consult the full program at the Festivities Department’s web link: https://www.aytolalaguna.es/servicios/fiestas/
In 2023, music will once again be one of the main protagonists of this celebration thanks to shows as varied as the La Laguna Rock Festival (Friday the 8th), the IX International Reggae Festival of the Canary Islands (Saturday the 9th) or the 45th Festival Sabandeño (Sunday the 10th), which will serve to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the album ‘Canario’ and will feature the collaboration of Olga Cerpa, José Manuel Ramos and Héctor González.
The Senior Festival returns with force (Tuesday the 12th), which already in 2022 was a significant success in participation, led by an established artist like María del Monte. Finally, among other events, the traditional festivals in the Plaza del Cristo (September 9 and 13), the inclusive festival (September 20) are rescued and other events are incorporated such as the performance of the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra (Friday 8) and the Los Cantadores concert, with the involvement of Adrián Martín and Coti (Sunday the 17th).
There will also be no shortage of emblematic events of these dates such as the pandorga parade and the fire horses or the night of traditions, which in this edition will honor the wrestler Lolo Gutiérrez (all of them scheduled for Wednesday the 13th), in addition to the pyrotechnic displays of on September 13, 14 and 21.
In the sports section, the XLII Popular Race of the Christ (Saturday the 9th), the LXII City of La Laguna Table Tennis Tournament and the final of the Drag Contest stand out (both activities scheduled for Sunday the 17th), the fight of the Christ ( Friday the 22nd) or the XVII Regional Domino Tournament ‘Ciudad de La Laguna’ (Saturday the 23rd), among other competitions.
The rest of the program will be spiced up with other attractive proposals such as exhibitions by the artists Manolo Sánchez (from September 6 to 23) or Yapci Ramos (starting on Saturday the 9th), the Heritage Night (Saturday the 16th), poetic readings, choir meetings, the two nights of open-air cinema and different shows focused on the little ones in the house, such as the performance of the company Los Gabytos, children of the mythical clown Gaby (Sunday the 17th).
religious acts
The eldest slave of Christ, Francisco Túbal, presented the main religious acts of the program, already emblematic for the citizens of the municipality, such as the ceremony of the descent and veneration of the Holy Christ of La Laguna and the procession of the transfer to the Holy Cathedral Church (Saturday the 9th) and the return procession and the Eucharistic celebration of the beginning of the octave (Thursday the 14th).
Finally, the artist Fran de Miguel explained the symbolism and history that preceded the official poster of these festivities, which combines in its composition the coastal towns of La Laguna, the traditional fires and the enlarged figure of Christ.
