Over 15,000 Attendees Brave Sweltering Heat for the San Benito Pilgrimage

Last Sunday, the city of La Laguna was filled with excitement as it hosted the patron saint festivities of San Benito Abad, featuring the acclaimed Regional Pilgrimage – the only one of its kind recognised throughout the Canary Islands.

More than 15,000 individuals lined the streets of La Laguna to partake in this event, which showcased 85 decorated carts, over 40 folklore ensembles, traditional boats, and a small exhibition of the town’s livestock.

The Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, emphasised that this celebration “not only honours tradition and merriment, but also pays homage to the countless generations of La Laguna locals, past and present, who have dedicated themselves to the care of our agricultural industry and rural areas.”

“Both on Sunday and at the Magicians’ Ball, we have witnessed a surge in attendance and participation numbers, highlighting the growing fascination with these festivities, which have become a benchmark for the entire island and even for visitors from other islands,” the mayor remarked.

“For this year’s edition, we aimed to incorporate our neighbouring island, Gran Canaria, into these celebrations, as it commemorates a hundred years since the last time San Benito Abad joined the Regional Pilgrimage alongside the image of the Virgen del Pino,” expressed the mayor. “A century later, we have successfully recreated that highly symbolic moment that now forms part of the historical fabric of these festivities,” he concluded.

The Regional Pilgrimage drew a substantial crowd right from the beginning, both in the vicinity of San Benito and throughout the quaint streets of the historical centre. Following the procession, a street revelry is scheduled to mark the culmination of a joyous day filled with merrymaking, local gastronomy, and traditional attire from across the archipelago.