From Friday to Sunday, Santa Catalina Park will celebrate some of the events that epitomise the style of the carnival-goers
The Drag Queen Preselection event tickets sold out ten minutes after going on sale online and two and half hours after going on sale in the ticket office
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Monday 26 January, 2026. The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival is with us until 1 March, setting the pace in Santa Catalina Park, the epicentre of the galas and competitions. The lively inauguration of the programme last week with the opening proclamation, the presentation of contenders and the draw for order of participation, the Children’s Choreographic Festival, the Children’s Murgas Competition, and the first grand gala, for the Children’s Throne, confirmed the start of Carnival celebrations where the keynote has been images of capacity crowds and a stunning following from the general public.
Drag Queen Preselection and the Adult Fancy Dress Competition
A trend which can only go from strength to strength, if we bear in mind that the second week of the festive calendar will see such significant acts going up onto the stage as the Drag Queen Preselection or the Adult Fancy Dress Competition – glorious fun and abandon. Acts which connect directly with the audience, with values which are the Carnival’s very own: respect, tolerance and transgression. Both of these competitions show a picture of sell-out and capacity crowds: the Preselection sold out online within 10 minutes and in the ticket office, the last ticket sold two hours and ten minutes after it opened.
Cross-Dresser Gala
The same as for the Cross-Dresser Gala, an event which delights audiences with its sass and reminds us of the origins of these celebrations, when 50 years ago these were the people who had to dodge repression, reclaiming the liberty denied them beyond the imposition of the Carnival mask.
Children’s Party
There is still room in the diary for a Children’s Party, for the little comparsas that will show such ingenious choreographies, a display of imagination in costumes and the enthusiasm that these girls and boys work with. There are five groups, namely Brisa de Volcán, Rayo de Luna Junior, Yurimagua Junior, Tropicana Infantil and Lianceiros Junior, who work year-round with their hopes set on the Santa Catalina stage.
Murgas Competition and Comparsas
All of these as the prelude to a third week which lends the spotlight to the Murgas, 19 groups which draw from satire, irony, witty words and tone to offer social criticism or criticism of the status quo. They will take over the Carnival venue from Monday 2 to Saturday 7, with a day allotted for the dances of the Adult Comparsas, 7 groupings who will put themselves in the hands of the audience on February 6.
Dog Carnival
On Sunday 8, Carnival ratifies a lovable contest, the Dog Carnival, a diary date where the prize is what matters least: what is important is to see the pets having fun with their owners in a morning event where dogs are welcomed onto this special stage. And that day ends with such a delightful evening, with the 11 older ladies contending to show off the Grand Dame’s crown, the unquestionable proof that Carnival doesn’t care about age.