When is the food fair in Fuencaliente in 2026?
A second food fair is announced for 2026, but there is no date. By 10 November 2026 the Ayuntamiento (town council) had published no date, no programme and no statement.
Mayor Gregorio Alonso announced in 2025 that the fair would return the following year. Whether Fuencaliente will hold it on the feast day or on a weekend is still open.
The first fair fell on Saturday 8 November 2025. That is only a pointer, so do not book travel on it.
Your best bet is to ask the Ayuntamiento de Fuencaliente or the tourist office of the Cabildo (island government) of La Palma. Entry prices, food prices and opening hours are not confirmed.
What is a Borrallera?
The Borrallera is made of papas (potatoes) and boniatos (sweet potatoes) that cook under volcanic picón. Sarmientos, the cuttings pruned from the vines, are part of the cooking.
According to the Ayuntamiento, it is served with roasted bacon, known as tocino asado. Carne al espicho, a meat dish seen as typical of the municipality, goes with it.
People drink the area's vino nuevo (young wine) with it. The council calls it the “traditional Borrallera of Fuencaliente”, not a dish of the whole Canary Islands.
No source shows that the dish belongs to the whole archipelago. The recipe and the origin of the name also remain unclear.
What else was there to eat and drink in 2025?
Four wineries from the municipality offered guided tastings. They were Bodegas Teneguía, Bodegas Carballo, Bodega Victoria Torres and Bodegas Mil7ochentaynueve.
Besides the Borrallera, the tables held papas costillas, piñas and pastries. There was also Italian food, chestnuts and the escacho, a local speciality.
Live music accompanied the day. The council's report gives no prices for food, glasses or tastings.
One event listing describes a Borrallera-style lunch, roasted chestnuts and bands from the island.
Who organised the first fair?
The Ayuntamiento de Fuencaliente organised the fair, with help from residents and local groups. Who paid the costs is not known.
Mayor Alonso spoke of more than 600 visitors. There is nothing to compare this with, because 2025 was the first edition.
The mayor said: “The fair has come to stay.” He means that the municipality wants to repeat it every year.
What does San Martín mean for newcomers?
According to published descriptions, the festival began as informal gatherings in wine cellars. People opened the new wine there with chestnuts.
Fuencaliente is one of the three wine zones of the Denominación de Origen La Palma, alongside Hoyo de Mazo and the north. The municipality sees vines and wine as part of its identity.
Other towns celebrate their own version. In Puntallana a market with a San Martín festival took place on 15 November 2025.
Anyone on La Palma in November will therefore find festivities in several places. The dates for 2026 are not confirmed.
What is still open?
For 2026 the date, programme, prices and opening hours of the fair are missing. Nobody has yet published whether there will be an entry fee.
The four wineries are generally described as open to visitors. Opening hours and prices for guided visits have not been checked.
A statement from the Ayuntamiento de Fuencaliente would settle these questions. Once it appears, holidaymakers in the south of the island can plan their visit.