When does the Danza del Diablo take place in 2026?

On the night of 7 to 8 September, within the Gran Verbena that begins at 22:00 on 7 September. The appearance itself falls on 8 September.

What time exactly does the Diablo come out?

No fixed official time is communicated. La Palma Go gives a window between 3:15 and 3:30 in the morning, and the municipal press reported around 3:30 for 2025. An events guide points out that the programme deliberately withholds an exact hour.

What actually happens during the dance?

A demon shaped frame loaded with pyrotechnics is carried on someone's shoulders and dances among the crowd on the Plaza de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria while firing rockets. At the end, the figure's head explodes.

How old is the tradition?

According to the accounts reviewed it is a documented invention of 1923, not a medieval custom.

Are there official safety rules for visitors?

No closed official rulebook appears in the sources reviewed. Events guides advise arriving early, respecting the barriers and following the instructions of the emergency services.

TIJARAFE · LA PALMA · FIESTAS

Tijarafe 2026: the Danza del Diablo, La Palma's night of gunpowder

Tijarafe, a village on the western flank of La Palma, is in the middle of its patron saint festivities in honour of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria. According to the Canary festival portal Canarias Fiestas and the municipal digital library, the programme runs from 20 August to 8 September 2026. Its best known moment is still to come: the Danza del Diablo, on the night of 7 to 8 September.

1 September 2026 · By Lucía Medina Reyes · 5 min

Fireworks at a night fiesta (illustrative)

Photo: epSos.de, CC BY 2.0 (Symbolbild).

It is one of the most unusual popular celebrations in the archipelago: a devil figure loaded with fireworks that dances among the crowd in the middle of the village square until, at the end, its head blows apart. Here is what the sources actually establish, and what they deliberately leave open.

A devil made of gunpowder, carried on someone's shoulders

The Danza del Diablo is not a static fireworks display but a moving figure. As described by the La Palma portal La Palma Go, it is a demon shaped frame loaded with pyrotechnics, carried on the shoulders of one person and lit in the middle of the Plaza de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, the main square of the village centre.

From there the figure moves through the crowd, dancing while it fires rockets in every direction. The same source speaks of more than five hundred rockets over twenty to twenty five minutes, until the Diablo's head finally explodes. That closing blast is commonly read as the victory of good over evil. Anyone standing in the square is therefore not watching from behind a distant barrier but sharing the same space as the spectacle, which explains both its appeal and the caution the night deserves.

How the night unfolds, and why the hour stays open

In the programme, 7 September is the third day of the triduum, and a Gran Verbena is scheduled for that evening from 22:00, with the Danza del Diablo taking place in its course. Anyone who concludes from this that the devil appears shortly after midnight is mistaken: the figure comes out deep into the night, meaning it is already 8 September.

A detailed account on La Palma Go gives a window between 3:15 and 3:30 in the morning for the appearance. The municipal press chronicle of the 2025 edition reported that at around 3:30 the first bars of the famous "tiritititi" announced the arrival of the protagonist, while giants and big heads were already dancing in the square. An events guide for La Palma notes explicitly that the official programme deliberately does not publish an exact time. On 8 September come the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lady, with the rosary at 20:00, mass at 20:30, the procession and fireworks at the end.

Invented in 1923, not a medieval myth

Unlike many fire traditions, the Diablo of Tijarafe has no centuries old founding legend behind it. La Palma Go, drawing on the work of island historians, describes it as a documented invention of 1923 and names three men from the village as its creators: Antonio Cruz, Pedro Brito and Orosio Martín. The figure was reportedly danced for the first time at the Cruz de Mayo festivities of that year.

An opinion piece in the regional outlet La Palma Ahora, part of eldiario.es, cites the research of José Luis García Francisco and likewise places the origins in the first decades of the twentieth century, linking them to an earlier character known as "Cataclismo". Thematically the Diablo is often grouped with other Canary good against evil customs, such as the Carneros de Tigaday on El Hierro, the Burras de Güímar on Tenerife or the Suelta del Perro Maldito on Gran Canaria. That kinship, however, is an interpretation of shared themes rather than documented descent.

Protected as cultural heritage and a festival of tourist interest

The Danza del Diablo carries official recognition. According to the sources consulted, the Canary Islands government classifies it as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the intangible category, and local and regional accounts date that declaration to 2007. It is additionally listed as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Canarias, for which the same sources give the year 2011.

One qualification matters for context: no recognition at national level, that is as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional, could be verified in the sources reviewed, and one local account rules it out explicitly. Nor do the Fiestas de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria as a whole hold a separate designation of their own. What is protected, in other words, is the dance itself rather than the full festival programme.

Getting there, waiting, and a very crowded square

Tijarafe sits in the north west of La Palma, on the route linking Los Llanos de Aridane with Puntagorda. Events guides for the island advise arriving several hours early, expecting street and road closures around the village centre, and following the instructions of the emergency services. On this night the square fills to its last corner.

In practical terms the night is long. Several hours separate the start of the verbena at 22:00 from the Diablo's appearance at around half past three, and they are spent celebrating and waiting. Anyone not staying in the village should plan the journey back in advance, because a winding mountain road in the dark after a sleepless night is not something to improvise. Sturdy comfortable footwear and a light jacket for the cool hours before dawn are part of the basic kit under the same recommendations.

Tip: Plan for a very long night. The Gran Verbena starts at 22:00 on 7 September, but according to the available descriptions the Diablo itself only appears at around 3:15 to 3:30 in the morning of 8 September.
An events guide for La Palma notes that the official programme deliberately gives no exact hour, so allow for a long wait, bring sturdy shoes and a light jacket, and sort out the journey home before the evening begins.

Please note: This is pyrotechnics set off directly within a crowd. The sources reviewed publish no closed, official rulebook for spectators, and the advice found in events guides is limited to respecting the barriers during the Diablo and the fireworks and following the instructions of the emergency services.
Anyone sensitive to noise, smoke or flying sparks should keep their distance, which applies particularly to small children and people with respiratory conditions. A municipal note on the 2025 edition recorded that the evening passed without notable incidents thanks to the security deployment. General guidance on handling sparks, such as natural fibres rather than synthetics and closed shoes, comes from fire safety practice and is not an official instruction issued for Tijarafe.

Key facts

Festivities: Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Tijarafe, La Palma, from 20 August to 8 September 2026, according to Canarias Fiestas and the municipal library.
Gran Verbena: 7 September from 22:00, on the third day of the triduum.
Danza del Diablo: during the night into 8 September; La Palma Go gives a window of 3:15 to 3:30, and the municipal press reported around 3:30 for 2025.
Duration: roughly 20 to 25 minutes and more than five hundred rockets, according to La Palma Go, until the figure's head explodes.
Origin: a documented invention of 1923 by Antonio Cruz, Pedro Brito and Orosio Martín, according to La Palma Go citing island historians.
Status: Bien de Interés Cultural in the intangible category (sources date it to 2007) and Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Canarias (sources give 2011); no national declaration is documented.

FAQ

When does the Danza del Diablo take place in 2026?: On the night of 7 to 8 September, within the Gran Verbena that begins at 22:00 on 7 September. The appearance itself falls on 8 September.
What time exactly does the Diablo come out?: No fixed official time is communicated. La Palma Go gives a window between 3:15 and 3:30 in the morning, and the municipal press reported around 3:30 for 2025. An events guide points out that the programme deliberately withholds an exact hour.
What actually happens during the dance?: A demon shaped frame loaded with pyrotechnics is carried on someone's shoulders and dances among the crowd on the Plaza de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria while firing rockets. At the end, the figure's head explodes.
How old is the tradition?: According to the accounts reviewed it is a documented invention of 1923, not a medieval custom.
Are there official safety rules for visitors?: No closed official rulebook appears in the sources reviewed. Events guides advise arriving early, respecting the barriers and following the instructions of the emergency services.

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