Free live music and stuff in Las Palmas, June 2026

Some stuff that we saw in June.

• 5 June: «Match de impro» @ Teatro Guiniguada, Plaza F. Mesa de León, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  The second (of three) performances by Escuela Vives Impro lead by Romina Vives. Presented as a match between two teams who had to improvise their lines according to the words or phrases provided by the audience and randomly selected from the box. On this occasion, the green team won. The Saturday show was supposed to be a final (that is, a competition between the winners of the previous two) but I went to see Mestizo in Parque Doramas. Part of VII Muestra de Teatro no profesional.

  

• 6 June: Mestizo @ Auditorio José Antonio Ramos, Parque Doramas
  Feauturing Danny Martínez (guitar), Pedro Izquierdo (timple), Marcel Montcourt (cuatro venezolano), Samuel Ortiz (clarinet, vocals), Kiko González (percussion), Luis Rivero (bass), Adrián Brito (vocals) and Claudia Álamo (vocals).

  

From 12 to 28 June our city celebrated its Fiestas Fundacionales. Here are some events we’ve attended:

• 12 June: «Pangea» @ Castillo de la Luz, Calle Juan Rejón
  A work by the Galician composer, musicologist, luthier and multi-instrumentalist Abraham Cupeiro (flutes, horns, bagpipes, carnyx) performed by the author and La Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria conducted by Juan Roda Sapiña.

  

• 13 June: «60 años de soul en el Atlántico» @ Plaza de Santa Ana
  The City Dock Band featuring Cristina Ramos paid a tribute to Los Canarios and American soul artists. With guest appearance of Teddy Bautista (via video) and Toba.

  

• 14 June: «Música en el corazón de Vegueta» @ various locations
  This time, the traditional Vegueta festival took place on Sunday morning. I liked this arrangement better than usual Saturday evening one. This is what we’ve seen (the full programme is available here):
  • Archinautas @ Colegio de Abogados
  • Súbito Koral @ Casas Consistoriales
  • La Musicleta @ Plaza del Pilar Nuevo
  • Barrio de Tango @ Plaza de San Agustín
  • Son x Tres @ Plaza de la Real Sociedad Económica Amigos del País
  As an extra bonus, in the patios of Vegueta the visitors were supplied with Tirma chocolate bars.

  

• 17 June: Mingo Quintana and José Artiles @ Palacete Rodríguez Quegles, Calle Benito Pérez Galdós 4,
  A double bill from the cycle 12 noches de autor.

  

• 19 June: Performance «Cuerpo a tinta» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas, Calle Colón, 8
  A result of the workshop taught by Sandra March, this perfomance complemented the exhibition Engravers for Peace (see below).

  

• 19 June: «La costa de los cantares» @ Plaza de Santa Ana
  Olga Cerpa & Mestisay with guest singer Eneida Marta and invited artists Ricardo Campos (bass) and Cristiano Pinto (guitar).

  

And exhibitions:

• 25 February — 28 June: «Alma de nacar» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  Presenting enconchados created in Mexico in the 17th and 18th centuries.

  

• 4 June — 3 July: «Grabadores por la Paz» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas
  The collective exhibition Engravers for Peace, coordinated by the Canarian-Palestinian artist Fátima Suleimán Afonso, brings together creations of some 60 artists from different countries, including a work by Tamara.

  

Goodbye, June, I’ll miss you.

(Almost) free live music and stuff, May 2026

Some stuff that I saw in Vitoria, Santander, Torrelavega and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

• 9 May: «Cenizas de Oro» @ Centro Cívico Langraiz-Oka, Tres de Marzo Parkea, 1, Nanclares de la Oca / Langraiz Oka
  A comedy by the amateur theatre group No Me Claves Tus Puñales. Not exactly free as €2 donation (for an NGO to be determined) was requested, but quite worth it.

  

• 15 May: Cantabria en Corto 2025 @ Filmoteca de Cantabria Mario Camus, Calle Bonifaz, 6, Santander
  The programme included Relato del niño que estuvo allí by Sergio Ruiz García; Solo es cuestión de tiempo by Carlos Martínez Pérez; “Solo los muertos se quedan by Alejandro Renedo; Una playa by Juan Carlos Cabañas Soto and Luis Paredes; Instrucciones para quedarse by Caque Trueba; and Wounded Light by Abril Catalina Beascoechea.

  

• 16 May: V Raw Market @ Plaza Mayor, Torrelavega
  Organised by Escuela de Arte Roberto Orallo (Puente San Miguel, Cantabria), this annual event allows the students of the school to present and market the work created during their training. The highlight was a concert of Cantabrian rock band The Haze.

  

• 24 May: Ajódar Poetry Jazz @ Sala Faro, Calle Concejal Manuel Rodríguez Costas, 1, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  The only event of the Deriva Jazz Timur and I attended. We were not impressed. Ajódar Duo, whose members did not bother to introduce themselves, played some jazz (badly) and recited some poetry (worse). On the brighter note, we have discovered a new venue in just a five-minute walk from us.
• 26 May: «Gran poder a de mandar o mar et todo los ventos» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  Dedicated to the quincentenary of the death of Elcano, this concert featured “music around the Iberian circumnavigation routes”. Pedro Bonet employed 14 different recorders — copies of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque models — to play a bedazzling array of works composed and/or collected by Alfonso X el Sabio, Diego Ortiz, Pieter de Vois, Thomas Edward Bowdich, Hans Sloane, Joseph-Marie Amiot, William Hamilton Bird and many others. Part of the cycle Música Antigua en el Patio.

  

• 28 May: «Tiempo de Zafra» @ Auditorio José Antonio Ramos, Parque Doramas
  La Banda Sinfónica de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria featuring Domingo Luis Rodríguez Oramas “El Colorao” on timple and voices of Tania Gil and Pedro Manuel Afonso. The concert included a performance of Zafra, a work for timple and symphony orchestra composed by Laura Vega.

  

And exhibitions:

• 7—31 May: «Color, memoria y gesto» @ Sala de Exposiciones Mauro Muriedas, Calle Pedro Alonso Revuelta, 5, Torrelavega
  Works by Débora Regalado and Alejandro Mesurado.

  

• 8 May — 5 July: «Wetlands» @ El Palacete del Embarcadero, Muelle de Calderón, Santander
  Works by Paula Santomé.

  

Goodbye, May.

Free live music and stuff, March—April 2026

Some stuff that I saw in Valencia, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Vitoria.

• 15—19 March: Las Fallas de Valencia, various locations
  This year, compared to the first time I’ve been to the Fallas, I was able to see more and better, thanks to the weather. Even so, I spent most time away from the crowds in the centre, lost in the barrios of Benimaclet, Cabañal and Malvarrosa.

  

  More photos of Las Fallas @ Shutterstock.
• 31 March: «Grito de Mujer 2026» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  A part of the worldwide festival Grito de Mujer. With the participation of Proyecto Interculturalízate, a group of migrant women (with musical collaboration of the Thioune Brothers); writers M.ª del Pino Marrero Berbel, Rosario Ibrahim, Rubén Mettini, Pepa Molina, Carolina Landino, Bönaí Capote and Aghlahoum-Poeta saharaui-Tinduf; singers-songwriters Sara Brito, Daniel Cano, and Virginia Ruiz “La Niña de la Calle”. Presented by Ana Cendrero González.

  

• 8 April: «Somethin’ Stupid» @ Palacete Rodríguez Quegles, Calle Benito Pérez Galdós, 4, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  If you want to hear Billie Jean, Don’t Worry, Be Happy, The Entertainer, La Fiesta, Let It Be, Meet the Flintstones, Tears in Heaven and yes, Somethin’ Stupid in one concert, look no further. A splendid performance of Yul Ballesteros (guitar) and Germán López (timple).

  

• 10 April: «Sinfonía de sinfonías» @ Plaza del Pilar Nuevo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  The final performance of the graduates of the Advanced Conducting Programme (the class of Dr. Ignacio García Vidal) based in the Canary Islands, with La Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Unfortunately the show was interrupted by rain just when the second part started. This is what we heard:
  • Ludwig van Beethoven, Egmont: Overture — conducted by Óscar Manuel Sánchez Benítez
  • Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship — conducted by Anna Kucherenko Parikova
  • Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess — conducted by Javier López Peña
  The full programme of the concert as it was intended is available here.

  

• 18 April: «Puto amor» @ Centro Cívico Langraiz-Oka, Tres de Marzo Parkea, 1, Nanclares de la Oca / Langraiz Oka
  A monologue by Dora Gálvez.

  

• 25 April: A Contra Blues @ Plaza de la Provincia, Vitoria-Gasteiz
  A fantastic band featuring Jonathan Herrero (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Víctor López (drums), Héctor Martín Díaz (electric guitar), Matías Míguez (electric bass) and Alberto Noel Calvillo (electric guitar) was performing as part of the Fiestas de San Prudencio. I liked their originals but I was most impressed by the covers of Sinnerman and Triana’s En el lago.

  

And exhibitions, all in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria:

• 27 February — 27 March: «Hacer(se) Tierra. Arquitectura del arraigo» @ Centro Cultural CICCA, Alameda de Colón, 1
  Paintings from the collection of La Fundación La Caja de Canarias, including works by Miró Mainó, Alberto Manrique, José Comas Quesada, Pedro del Castillo Olivares and Juan Betancor.

  

• 5 March — 10 April: «Prohibido Escuchar» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas (CAP), Calle Colón, 8
  A project by Anarcos and Rosa P. Almeida, with invited artist Pedro Déniz.

  

• 19 March — 30 August: «ART AL QUADRAT. Memorias colectivas / Represiones cotidianas» @ CAAM — San Antonio Abad, Plaza San Antonio Abad
  Works by the Valencian arists Mónica and Gema del Rey Jordà, aka Art al Quadrat.

  

Bring on May.

Free live music and stuff in Las Palmas, November 2025

What we’ve seen in November:

• 6 November: «Con el Latido de la Madre Tierra» @ Castillo de la Luz, Calle Juan Rejón, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  A concert of La Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria conducted by Teresa Hernández Vega. The programme included works by Alfred Reed, Satoshi Yagisawa, Giancarlo Castro D’Addona, Jesús Agomar and Moisés Moleiro.

  

• 8 November: «Calles con Arte» @ Calle Taliarte and Calle Guaires, La Isleta
  A Saturday full of cultural activities, all just a block away from us. We went to see pole dance by No Limits Pole Dance Studios; tango dance by Abrazos en movimiento accompanied by Atorrantes Tango Club; Bollywood dance workshop with Lavina Saradangani; and «El coro de La Luz» by Chelys Odalis.

  

• 11 November: Taller de danzas folklóricas venezolanas @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  The first event from the cycle «Américas» organised by Casa de Colón and produced by Tájara producciones: a Venezuelan dance workshop by the Asociación Cultural Cambur Pintón.

  

• 13 November: Conciertos de música popular venezolana @ Casa de Colón
  Mestizo feauturing Marcel Montcourt (cuatro venezolano), Danny Martínez (guitar), Óscar Sánchez (flute), Kiko González (percussion), Winter Sánchez (double bass) and Adrián Brito (vocals), plus a special guest Claudia Álamo (vocals).

• 14 November: «Américas» @ Plaza del Pilar Nuevo
  With crowd-pleasers such as Libertango, Oblivion and Tico Tico, La Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria conducted by Juan Roda Sapiña closed the cycle «Américas».

• 18 November: Arrorró solidario @ Casa de Colón
  Featuring Guada Márquez, Ángel Ravelo, Luis Quintana, Sixto Armas, Esther Rodríguez, Helena González, Sylvie Hernández, Daniel Lamb, Cinzia Mare, Marta Bolaños, Cira Rodríguez, Tite Fernández, Misael Jordán and others. Presented by Tonono González and Nanda Santana.

  

• 27 November: «Una noche vieja» @ Biblioteca Pública Municipal Josefina de la Torre, Paseo de las Canteras
  A very amateur comedy performed by Teatro Mínimo XXI. The audience was full of Rabbit’s friends-and-relations. Everybody was given a cup with twelve grapes, which was nice.

  

Is it the end of November already? Unbelievable.

(Almost) free live music and stuff in Las Palmas, October 2025

What we’ve seen in October:

• 4 October: «Tránsito, Lienzo y Voz» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  A concert of Camerata Lacunensis, a chamber choir of the University of La Laguna (Tenerife) lead by Jose Herrero. The programme included:
  • O lux beata Trinitas (Andrej Makor)
  • Wade in the Water (traditional, arr. Stacey V. Gibbs)
  • Veni sponsa Christi (Albert Alcaraz). Soloist: Celia Martín
  • Si ha de ser (Jose Herrero — Josefina de la Torre)
  • Let My Love Be Heard (Jake Runestad — Alfred Noyes)
  • Penas (Beatriz Corona — José Martí). Quartet of soloists: Amayra García, Lucía Torres, Pedro San Blas and Andrés Rodríguez.
  • Verano (Jose Herrero — Félix Duarte Pérez). Soloist: Celia Martín
  • El Guayaboso (Guido López-Gavilán)
  • Folías (traditional, arr. Jose Herrero). Soloist: Vicky López
  • El cuarto de Tula (Sergio González Siaba, arr. Jose Herrero)
  Encores:
  • Bésame Mucho (Consuelo Velázquez)
  • Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

  

• 6 October: 30MASDANZA @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  The programme included:
  • Raquel Gualtero Soriano (Ibagué, Colombia — Barcelona, Spain): 360º
  • Catarina Casqueiro & Tiago Coelho (Lisbon, Portugal): Forget Me Not
  • Eugenio Micheli & Marta Papaccio (Catania, Italy): The Waiting
  • Albert Hernández & Irene Tena (Madrid, Spain): No

  

• 8 October: Luis Quintana @ Palacete Rodríguez Quegles, Calle Benito Pérez Galdós, 4
  What I find irritating in a performer: (1) asking the audience to sing with, or instead of, them (90% of cantautores do it); (2) explaining what their songs are about; (3) wearing a hat on stage. LQ does all this and it is annoying. I liked Ángel Ravelo’s sax (he didn’t ask the crowd to play any with him).

  

• 9 October: MASDANZA Showcase I @ Sala Gabriel Rodó, Paseo Principe de Asturias
  The programme included:
  • Kiko López (Valencia, Spain): Honest
  • Charlotte Carpentier & Giovanni Molendi (Gzira, Malta): Silenced
  • Olé Khamchanla (Saint Vallier, France): Cercle
  • Cristina Roggerini & Gaia Mondini (Marano di Napoli, Italy): Last Movement of Hope: II Chapter — Organs
  • Paula Comitre & Julio Ruiz; cante: Al Blanco (Seville, Spain): Un diálogo entre Paula Comitre y Julio Ruiz

  

• 12 October: The 5.6.7.8’s @ Parque de San Telmo
  The Big Bang Vintage Festival this year was not free. We discovered this on Sunday when the security guy told us that the concert was “a private event” and we were meant to purchase tickets. The prices were €50 (a four-day pass) and €20 (a one-day pass). We were not ready to pay €20 per person for just one concert, and, judging by the applauses, it didn’t look like there was great attendance. Timur and I stayed outside the bus station to listen for the fist few songs. The sound quality wasn’t impressive either.
• 28 October: «Arrudeio» @ Casa de Colón
  This concert was part of the 22^nd (!) Festival Tensamba — why haven’t I heard of it before? With Camila Masiso (vocals, percussion) and Carol Benigno (accordion).

  

And exhibitions:

• 25 September — 24 October: «Caminar la forma» @ Centro Cultural CICCA, Alameda de Colón, 1
  Wood sculptures by Juan Carlos Déniz.

  

• 30 October — 28 November: Exposición del Concurso «Gran Canaria de Series de Obra Gráfica» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas (CAP), Calle Colón, 8
  ...where you can see some engravings by Tamara and Timur.

  

Bye, October.

Free live music and stuff in Las Palmas, September 2025

It was a great September, stuff-wise.

• 6 September: Troveros de Asieta «30 años de son» @ Auditorio José Antonio Ramos, Parque Doramas, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  Troveros de Asieta featuring Francis Concepción (vocals, guitar), Pedro Brito (tres, backing vocals), Fran Martín “Ciani” (vocals, percussion), José Humberto Martín (trumpet), Oscar Herrera (trumpet), Carlos Perdomo (baby bass), Julio González (percussion), David Platero (percussion) and Alberto Martín (piano), plus a guest singer Mayelín Naranjo.

  

All the free shows of the 29^th edition of TEMUDAS (18—28 September 2025) took place in Santa Catalina, so it was very convenient for us. (We passed on the container terminal concert this year.) This is what we’ve seen:

• 18 September, 18:00: «SinSolo» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Compañía Faltan7 (Comunidad de Madrid) opened the festival with this charming contemporary circus show. Starring Katharina Gruener, Luca Sartor, Naikel Blázquez, Moran Shoval, Paula Garo, Yifat (Fifi) Rosenblat and Olivia (Libby) Halliday. Directed by Miguel Muñoz.

  

• 18 September, 19:00: «Maña» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Compañía Manolo Alcántara (Catalonia). I never thought that watching two guys silently moving around wooden blocks for one hour could be that fascinating. But it was.

  

• 18 September, 21:30 and 19 September, 22:00: «Légendaire» @ Parque Santa Catalina/Luis Morote
  Remue Ménage (France). Installation, circus.

  

• 19 September, 20:00: «Wild» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Circus and modern dance by Motionhouse (UK). Created and directed by Kevin Finnan. Starring Alex De La Bastide, Olly Bell, Llewelyn Brown, Sophie O'Leary, Daniel Massarella and Beth Pattison.

  

• 19 September, 21:00: «Canto al trabajo Sinfónico» @ Plaza de Canarias
  A show by Pieles and La Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Authors: Jonatan Rodríguez and Oswaldo Bordón. Featuring Fátima Rodríguez, Laura Álvarez, José Félix Álvarez, Fernanda Alonso, Germán G. Arias, Jeremías Martín, Juan Antonio Mora, Ithaisa Darias, Guillermo Molina, Ventor de la Guardia, Fede Beuster, Carlos Castañeda and Jonatan Rodríguez.

  

• 20 September, 17:30: «Out of the Deep Blue» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Autin Dance Theatre (Birmingham, UK). Featuring a 13-foot tall puppet operated by five puppeteers and a dancer.

  

• 21 September, 18:30: «Verbena» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Colectivo Lamajara Danza (Catalonia). Dancers: Anna Sagrera Conde, Agnès Balfegó Brull, Daniel Rosado Ávila, José David Ortega Cerda and Paloma Hurtado de la Cruz.

  

• 21 September, 20:30: «Sinergia 3.0» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Compañía Nueveuno (Madrid). Contempoary circus starring Miguel Frutos, Josu Montón, Isaac Posac and Jorge Silvestre.

  

• 25 September, 20:00: «Esencial» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Vaivén Circo (Granada).

  

• 25 September, 21:00: «Xpectro» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Zen del Sur (Granada). Starring Carlos López and Noemí Pareja.

  

• 27 September, 11:30: «Pols» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Modern dance performed by Pepa Cases (C. Valenciana).

  

• 27 September, 11:45: «The» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Modern dance. Created and performed by Miguel Jiménez & Andrea Carrión (Murcia).

  

• 27 September, 12:00: «Naufragio Universal» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Modern dance, flamenco. Created and performed by Marco Vargas & Chloé Brûlé (Murcia).

  

• 27 and 28 September, 20:30: «Le Lac des Cygnes» @ Plaza de Canarias
  Weird, beautiful and comic sketches from the life of waterfowl: L’eolienne (France) presented their take on Tchaikovsky’s classic. The story, if there is one, has nothing to do with the original Swan Lake libretto and is all the better for that. I liked it so much that I went to both shows. Those who left early missed that hilarious pièce de résistance, Danse des petits cygnes. Author and choreographer: Florence Caillon. Starring: Anouk Weiszberg, Guilhèm Charrier, Madeleine Peylet, Marco Guillemet, Ancelin Dugue and Johanna Dalmon.

  

• 27 September, 22:00: «Le Grand Mire» @ Parque de Santa Catalina
  Aerial dance by Deus Ex Machine (France). This could be a great 30-minute show if not for the pair of annoying emcees. Also, we felt that this magical sphere was underused.

  

• 28 September, 17:00: «Nilu» @ Plaza de Canarias
  A show by Infinit (C. Valenciana). Performed by Enric Romaguera.

  

The last concert from the cycle Música Antigua en el Patio this year:

• 30 September: «Cantus Memoriæ» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  Camerata Iberia featuring Jorge Enrique García (countertenor), Bruno Campelo (countertenor), Juan Carlos de Mulder (vihuela) and Carlos Oramas (vihuela). I can’t say I am a big fan of countertenor but their rendition of Ay luna que reluzes was pure magic. The programme included:
  • Josquin des Prez: Mille Regretz
  • Enríquez de Valderrábano: Et in spiritum sanctum
  • Josquin des Prez: In te Domine speravi
  • Anonymous (from Cancionero de la Colombina): Niña y viña
  • Francesco da Milano: Spagna/Canon
  • Franco Alonso (from Cancionero de Palacio): La tricotea
  • Juan del Encina (from Cancionero de Palacio): Fata la parte
  • Juan del Encina (from Cancionero de Palacio): Si habrá en este baldrés
  • Giacomo Fogliano (from Cancionero de Palacio): L’amor, donna
  • Diego Ortiz: Romanesca
  • Anonymous/Cristóvão Falcão (from Cancioneiro de Paris): Pois tudo tam pouco dura
  • Anonymous (from Cancioneiro de Paris): Não tragais borzeguis pretos
  • Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): Ay luna que reluzes
  • Joan Ambrosio Dalza: Laudato dio/Calata alla spagnola
  • Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): E la don don
  • Cristóbal de Morales (from Cancionero de Upsala): Si no os hubiera mirado
  • Diego Ortiz: Folías
  • Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): Falalalán, falalalera

  

And exhibitions:

• 18 September — 17 October: «Sacred Place» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas (CAP), Calle Colón, 8
  Art by Alfonso Crujera.

  

• 25 September 2025 — 22 February 2026: «Morar» @ CAAM – San Antonio Abad, Plaza San Antonio Abad
  Works by Esther Aldaz.

  

Hello, October.