Tenerife will vibrate from June 3 to 8 with the largest military display seen on the islands in the last forty years, and therefore, the Avenida Marítima of Santa Cruz begins the countdown to host the Armed Forces Parade, which this year will take place in the capital of Tenerife.
This Monday, June 2, the stands, loudspeakers, and arches for the parade, which will be presided over on Saturday the 7th by the Kings of Spain, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, begin to be set up.
Among the preparations finalizing by the Chicharrero Town Hall is the hiring of a cocktail to surprise the guests, for which over €66,000 will be spent. The menu must obligatorily include potatoes, ribs and corn, roast leg, and Canary cheeses, in addition to desserts.
The reception following the Armed Forces Day parade will take place at the Maritime Park facilities and will be attended by between 800 and 1,000 guests, including politicians, military personnel, and other authorities.
Official Agenda
The program of events open to the public will start on Tuesday, June 3. From ten in the morning until eight in the evening, the port esplanade and the first stretch of the Avenida Marítima will transform into an authentic open-air museum: on the esplanade, the Leopard 2E tanks, the tactical all-terrain VAMTAC vehicles, several NH-90 helicopters, and, docked at the pier, the ships Juan Carlos I and Álvaro de Bazán will be exhibited.
Activities will resume on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 4. At 7:15 p.m., a dynamic exhibition is planned that will combine a rescue simulation, a demonstration of the cynological service, and a bomb deactivation exercise. All this will again be held on the port esplanade, with free access for onlookers and enthusiasts.
Music
Music will take center stage on Thursday, June 5. At 6:15 p.m., the Plaza de España will host a military bands meeting where marches and popular pieces will be played by formations from the three Armies.
Just twenty-four hours later, on the night of Thursday, June 6, the city will experience one of the most spectacular and, at the same time, most delicate moments for traffic: the general rehearsal of the parade, starting at 10:00 p.m. and requiring the closure of the Avenida Marítima between the Palmetum and the Anaga junction.
Main Event
The big day will arrive on Saturday, June 7. At 11:30 a.m., with Their Majesties the Kings presiding over the platform, the parachute jump by the PAPEA, the solemn raising of the flag, the tribute to the fallen, and finally, the air and land parade will follow one another along the coastal strip before closing with the descent.
Finally, Sunday, June 8 will be reserved for the latecomers: between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., the static exhibition will remain open, and the ships docked in Santa Cruz port can be visited again. This open day will end an intense week dedicated to the Armed Forces in the capital of Tenerife.
Extensive Deployment
The parade that Tenerife will witness on June 7 will not be merely a review because no less than 3,266 military personnel will parade, more than eight hundred of them integrated into the Solemn Honors Section that will open the parade.
A very unusual sky will roar over their heads on the islands. The Air and Space Force has assigned 34 aircraft — from the Eurofighter jets that will break the air in formation to the C-295 transports and the gigantic A400M — escorted by 21 NH-90, Cougar, and Seahawk helicopters that will draw the profile of the air show.
On the ground, the figures don’t disappoint either: 81 tactical vehicles will accompany five armored pieces, including the recognized VRC Centauro and the Leopard 2E tanks, unloaded days before from the logistic ship Camino Español. It will be, in short, a deployment of significant figures and top-class material rarely assembled in the Archipelago.
Traffic Cuts
Those planning to move around Santa Cruz de Tenerife during the DIFAS events should pay attention to the traffic plan designed by the Town Hall.
The most drastic measure will come with the complete closure of the Avenida Marítima in the section between the Palmetum and the Tenerife Auditorium on the night of Thursday 6, when the parade is rehearsed, and throughout the morning of Saturday the 7th, the day of the official event. To bypass the area, traffic will be diverted via TF-11 and Avenida Tres de Mayo, the mandatory route to access both the port and the Anaga precinct.
Public transport will strengthen its offer, and from eight in the morning on Saturday, the tram and TITSA buses will increase frequencies and shuttles; it is advisable to transfer at the La Laguna and El Chorrillo interchanges to avoid traffic jams in the center. Also, from midnight on Friday the 6th, parking will be prohibited along the entire parade route, a restriction that will not be lifted until six in the afternoon on Saturday.
Residents whose garages are within the security perimeter can apply, through the municipal website, for a temporary accreditation to allow them to enter and exit with their vehicle during the cuts.
How to Watch
Those wishing to watch the parade from the front row can do so in the stands that the Town Hall has installed in front of the Cabildo. There are five thousand seats and will be occupied on a strict first-come, first-served basis, so it’s advisable to arrive early if you aim for one of those seats.
If you prefer a more panoramic point of view, just gain height. That day there will be many rooftops in the city full of people who can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the route. In addition, the landscaped slopes of the Maritime Park will allow viewing the formation along the avenue with the Atlantic as a backdrop.
Giant screens will also be set up in these strategic points to broadcast every detail live, from the parachute jump to the passage of the armored vehicles.
