SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 13 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Last night, the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna saw a impressive turnout of over 10,000 people at the San Benito Abad Magicians’ Ball, as reported by the Local Police. The event kicked off at 7:00 p.m., welcoming folklore groups and pilgrims to occupy the more than 600 tables arranged for the occasion.
Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, expressed his delight at the “tremendous reception” the Baile de Magos received this year, “exceeding all past attendance records, both in terms of tables filled and attendees.” He expressed gratitude to the residents for aligning with the traditional dress code, “creating a memorable image of these festivities,” he added.
The mayor highlighted one of the key highlights of the event this year was the “diverse” range of music featured across different areas of the city, with three stages positioned between the tower of La Concepción, Marqués de Celada street, and surrounding the hermitage of San Benito, which he referred to as the epicentre of these iconic festivities for every man and woman from La Laguna.
On the other hand, the Festival Councillor, Dailos González, emphasised “the vibrant festive ambience during this night of tradition, where the La Laguna community honoured customs by filling the provided tables to enjoy local music performed by the invited folklore groups and parrandas.”
The councillor also noted that this year’s edition of the dance “came closer than ever to the vicinity of San Benito, with an additional hundred tables set up on Marqués de Celada street due to high demand.”
The programme for the San Benito Abad celebrations continues into Saturday with an exhibition for the ‘Day of Traditions’, starting at 10:00 am on Embajador de Armas Avenue, showcasing various San Benito carts. An hour later, the parade of elderly folklore groups from La Laguna will commence from Plaza de La Catedral, accompanied by the San Benito carts.
Sports will also take the spotlight thanks to a volleyball tournament organised by the Aguere Volleyball Club at the Juan Ríos Tejera pavilion (from 09:00 to 18:00). Additionally, there will be the semi-finals and finals of the XX Envite and XXV Domino Tournaments as leisure options.
At 13:00, all the stalls on Calle Marqués de Celada will open for ‘Parrandas al Santo’, leading up to the ‘La Víspera’ procession at 20:00. At 22:00, the main stage of San Benito will host the 8 Islas Folklore Festival, featuring performances by the La Aldea de Gran Canaria Community Project, soloists, and musicians from other islands. The festival will conclude with the traditional street party, animated by the Generación orchestra.
SAN BENITO PILGRIMAGE.
Sunday will mark the pinnacle of the San Benito festivities in La Laguna with the commencement of the 78th Regional Pilgrimage. This edition, involving nearly 85 carts and wagons along with 40 folklore groups from across the Canary Islands, will start earlier at 11:30 a.m. to avoid the hottest hours for all participants of the procession.
This year, a historic event dating back a century will be commemorated, marking the first joint procession of the Virgen del Pino and San Benito Abad in this pilgrimage. Both images will parade through the city streets accompanied by music from groups representing both islands.
The route will begin from Avenida Candelaria, proceeding through Calle Marqués de Celada, Calle Herradores, Calle Tabares de Cala, Calle Carrera, Calle Adelantado, and finally returning through Calle Marqués de Celada to the San Benito area. Organisers of the event are considering extending the route from Herradores to the intersection with Calle Viana in the initial stages of the journey to prevent congestion at the start and end points of the pilgrimage in San Benito.
