Does the dunes show cost anything?

No. According to masdanza.com, the open-air shows are free. Places are limited and cannot be booked.

When does it start, and when is sunset?

It starts on Saturday 10 October at 19:00. The four pieces add up to 54 minutes; by our calculation the sun sets at around 19:40.

How do I get there by bus?

Take Global's line 30 from Las Palmas (Santa Catalina), which stops on Avenida de Tirajana. Return times are in the timetable on guaguasglobal.com.

How much are the theatre shows?

Teatro Guiniguada 10 euros standard, a 20 per cent discount for several groups and 4 euros for pupils of dance, theatre, circus and music schools — per the venue's own ticketing page. Closing gala at the Teatro Cuyás 10 euros, a single price with no concessions at all, according to the theatre. For the competitions on 15 and 16 October and for the winners' gala on 17 October the Teatro Pérez Galdós publishes no price, so neither do we (as of 27 September 2026).

GRAN CANARIA · CULTURE

Free dance at the Maspalomas dunes: the 31st MASDANZA dances into the sunset on 10 October

On Saturday 10 October at 19:00 the MASDANZA festival stages four contemporary dance pieces at the Mirador de las Dunas in Playa del Inglés: in the open air, with the Maspalomas dunes as a backdrop, and with no admission charge. It is the most eye-catching date of the 31st edition, which runs from 1 to 24 October, mostly in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. According to the programme the pieces add up to 54 minutes, and by our calculation the sun sets that evening at around 19:40. There is no booking: places are limited.

21 September 2026 · By Lucía Medina Reyes · 6 min · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

The Maspalomas dunes, Gran Canaria (illustrative)

Photo: Gerda Arendt, CC BY-SA 4.0 (illustrative image).

Key facts

Dunes evening: MASDANZA DUNAS, Saturday 10 October 2026, 19:00, Mirador de las Dunas de Maspalomas, according to the festival programme (version of 9 September).
Admission: the open-air shows are "GRATUITOS" (free), according to masdanza.com; places are limited and the festival asks audiences to arrive at least half an hour early.
Festival: 31st MASDANZA, the International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands, founded in 1996 by the dancer and choreographer Natalia Medina, who still directs it.
Competition: 14 pieces on 15 and 16 October at 20:00 at the Teatro Pérez Galdós, Sala Principal, according to the theatre's own event pages. The theatre publishes no price for these nights.
Sunset: on 10 October in Maspalomas at around 19:38–19:40, our own calculation, checked against sunrise-sunset.org.
Tenerife: Sunday 18 October 2026, 18:00, Espacio La Granja in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, four competition pieces — according to the festival on masdanza.com/portfolio/md-tenerife (page of 14 September 2026). The venue's own October programme does not list this date.

Why the dunes carry the festival

MASDANZA is a competition festival: at its core are the 25th Solo Competition and the 31st Choreography Competition, according to the rules published on masdanza.com. Around them the festival takes dance to squares, halls and one of Gran Canaria's best-known places. According to the festival, the Maspalomas dunes cover 400 hectares of beach, dune field, palm grove and lagoon. The Mirador de las Dunas, on Avenida de Tirajana, marks the point where Playa del Inglés meets Maspalomas; the Gran Canaria college of architects describes it as a "compulsory stop" for looking out over the dune field. By its own account, MASDANZA received the EFFE quality label of the European Festivals Association in January 2019 and was nominated for the award for best European dance festival: nominated, not a winner.

Four pieces in front of the dune field

The programme lists four works from Spain: "Pies de gallina" (15 minutes) from Seville by Ana F. Melero and Luna Sánchez, about the bond between two women according to the festival; "Lola y los lamentos" (10 minutes), a solo by Andrea Castro Fernández from A Coruña; "BULLnerable" (14 minutes) by Andrea Pérez Bueno and Abián Hernández Herrera from Gran Canaria; and "TRÏADE" (15 minutes) from Lugo by Esther Latorre and Hugo Pereira of Colectivo Glovo, set to music by Baiuca and Mercedes Peón. The programme flags no premieres. With changeovers between pieces, the performance should run close to sunset; civil twilight ends at around 20:02.

The programme: what is free and what it costs

Prices from the sales pages linked from masdanza.com and from the theatres themselves, checked on 27 September 2026. “Not published” means the venue gives no price and neither do we:

Date	Time	Venue	Price
Thu 1 Oct	20:00	Casa África, Las Palmas	free, limited places
Sat 3 Oct	18:00	Sala Gabriel Rodó (JUNIOR)	€5 to watch, €20 for the masterclass, both plus booking fee
Wed 7 Oct	19:00	Teatro Guiniguada (film)	€0.00 per the ticketing page
Fri 9 Oct	20:00	Teatro Guiniguada (CANARIAS)	€10, concessions from €4
Sat 10 Oct	19:00	Mirador de las Dunas, Maspalomas	free
Sat 10 Oct	20:00	Teatro Guiniguada (ELLAS)	€10, concessions from €4
Thu 15 / Fri 16 Oct	20:00	Teatro Pérez Galdós, Sala Principal (competitions)	not published
Sat 17 Oct	20:00	Teatro Pérez Galdós, Sala Principal (winners' gala)	not published
Sun 18 Oct	18:00	Espacio La Granja, Santa Cruz de Tenerife — per the festival; the venue itself does not list the date	not published
Thu 22 Oct	17:00	Plaza Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Agüimes	free
Fri 23 Oct	20:00	Plaza de León y Castillo, Santa Brígida	free
Sat 24 Oct	19:30	Teatro Cuyás (closing gala)	€10 single price, no concessions

Which prices a venue publishes itself varies a great deal. The Teatro Guiniguada lists them on its own ticketing site: for MASDANZA Canarias on 9 October and MASDANZA Ellas on 10 October, entradas.elteatroguiniguada.com shows the “General” category at 4.00 to 10.00 euros — 10 euros the standard price, plus a 20 per cent discount for the unemployed, 12- to 25-year-olds, students, over-65s, large families and people with a disability rating of 33 per cent or more, and 4 euros for pupils of dance, theatre, circus and music schools; those tickets are limited and proof must be shown at the auditorium door. For the film night on 7 October the same page shows 0.00 euros. The Teatro Pérez Galdós, by contrast, publishes only the date, time and hall for 15, 16 and 17 October on its event pages — no price; its ticketing system could not be read. For those three nights we therefore give no price. The Teatro Cuyás lists the closing gala on 24 October as “PRECIO ÚNICO: 10€” and “ESPECTÁCULO SIN DESCUENTO”. All figures checked on 27 September 2026.

The competition at the Teatro Pérez Galdós

For 15 and 16 October the programme lists seven solos and seven group pieces, from places including Berlin, Kassel, Linz, Rotterdam, Lucerne, Taipei and Anyang-si in South Korea, as well as Madrid and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The festival does not say how many countries or applications there were in total. The prize money, according to the prizes page masdanza.com/premios: 6,000, 4,000 and 2,000 euros (audience award) in the Choreography Competition; 4,000, 2,000 and 2,000 euros for the solos; plus the Premio Acorán of 1,500 euros. The gala on 17 October presents the winning pieces. According to the festival, the competitions and galas are streamed on its website.

From Casa África to Tenerife

The festival opens on 1 October at Casa África with "L'Effet-Mère" (40 minutes), a solo by Carmel Loanga (France/Gabon), free of charge according to Casa África. On 7 October the Guiniguada screens the documentary "Dancing Dreams" by Anne Linsel and Rainer Hoffmann, featuring Pina Bausch. For Tenerife the festival now names a date itself: its programme page masdanza.com/portfolio/md-tenerife says "18 OCT – Espacio La Granja – 18:00 h" and lists four competition pieces — "Soft Animals" (12 minutes, Dresden), "Even Absence Casts No Shadow" (12 minutes, Kassel), "Muga" (12 minutes, Rotterdam) and "Ferne Nähe" (15 minutes, Lucerne). The page was last modified on 14 September 2026. The venue does not confirm it: the Espacio La Granja in Santa Cruz de Tenerife lists neither MASDANZA nor any 18 October date at all in its own October programme — it runs 16 October and then 21 October, and the word MASDANZA appears nowhere on the page (cultura.icdcultural.org/lagranja/programacion, checked 28 September 2026, page last published 25 September 2026). Canarias7 and Maspalomas Ahora had reported only the 18 October date, on 22 September 2026, without a venue. The evening is therefore announced by the organiser, not by the hall — anyone travelling over should check with the Espacio La Granja first. In Agüimes and Santa Brígida the dancers include Johann Pérez Viera ("Obsequio") and The Concept ("Nakama"). The Galician Compañía Daniel Rodríguez closes the festival on 24 October with "Transeúnte" (50 minutes) at the Teatro Cuyás.

Getting to the dunes evening: the Mirador de las Dunas is on Avenida de Tirajana in Playa del Inglés. Global's line 30 (Las Palmas Santa Catalina – Faro de Maspalomas, direct) stops, according to its timetable, at Av. de Tirajana 14 (Plaza Agaete) and Av. de Tirajana 24 (Plaza Teror); on Saturdays it leaves Santa Catalina at 17:15 and 17:45, among other times. Check the journey time and the last bus back with Global beforehand. The festival recommends a warm layer, comfortable shoes and, if rain is possible, a poncho rather than an umbrella.

The dunes are a Reserva Natural Especial (special nature reserve): according to San Bartolomé de Tirajana council, leaving the marked paths and walking across the dunes is prohibited. The Guardia Civil and the Cabildo's environmental officers have stepped up patrols because, according to Canarias7 (26 August 2025), up to 500 people gather on the sand around sunset. Still open: the Tenerife evening on 18 October at 18:00 at the Espacio La Granja is announced only by the festival; the venue's own October programme contains no MASDANZA date and no 18 October date at all, and nobody publishes a price for it. For the competitions on 15 and 16 October and for the winners' gala on 17 October the Teatro Pérez Galdós publishes no price. For Agüimes, the programme says 17:00 and the section page 17:30. The festival has published nothing about parking at the mirador.

FAQ

Does the dunes show cost anything?: No. According to masdanza.com, the open-air shows are free. Places are limited and cannot be booked.
When does it start, and when is sunset?: It starts on Saturday 10 October at 19:00. The four pieces add up to 54 minutes; by our calculation the sun sets at around 19:40.
How do I get there by bus?: Take Global's line 30 from Las Palmas (Santa Catalina), which stops on Avenida de Tirajana. Return times are in the timetable on guaguasglobal.com.
How much are the theatre shows?: Teatro Guiniguada 10 euros standard, a 20 per cent discount for several groups and 4 euros for pupils of dance, theatre, circus and music schools — per the venue's own ticketing page. Closing gala at the Teatro Cuyás 10 euros, a single price with no concessions at all, according to the theatre. For the competitions on 15 and 16 October and for the winners' gala on 17 October the Teatro Pérez Galdós publishes no price, so neither do we (as of 27 September 2026).
Can I watch the competition online?: According to the festival, the competitions and galas are streamed on masdanza.com.

Read on

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Correction, 27 September 2026: An earlier version said MASDANZA would show four competition pieces, including “Soft Animals” and “Muga”, at the Espacio La Granja on Tenerife on 18 October. That is not supported: the Espacio La Granja's own October programme contains no MASDANZA date and no 18 October date at all (cultura.icdcultural.org/lagranja/programacion, checked 27 September 2026). Canarias7 and Maspalomas Ahora reported on 22 September 2026 only that the festival will also reach Tenerife on 18 October — without a venue. We have therefore removed the venue. Also removed: the three conflicting times (21:00, 19:00 and 18:00) we had given for Tenerife, and the 16.07-euro price for the winners' gala on 17 October — the Teatro Pérez Galdós publishes no price for that night. Added: the Teatro Cuyás lists the closing gala on 24 October at 19:30 as “PRECIO ÚNICO: 10€ — ESPECTÁCULO SIN DESCUENTO”, a single price of 10 euros with no concessions at all. Addendum, 27 September 2026: We have also removed the prices of 10 euros a night and 15 euros for both nights that we gave for the competitions on 15 and 16 October at the Teatro Pérez Galdós and attributed to “the programme and the theatre's box office”. The theatre publishes no price for 15, 16 or 17 October on its event pages, its ticketing system could not be read, and no report we opened gives a price. We therefore treat those two nights exactly as we treat the winners' gala: not published. What we did confirm, and have now sourced, are the Teatro Guiniguada's prices — 10 euros standard, a 20 per cent discount, 4 euros for pupils of dance, theatre, circus and music schools, and 0.00 euros for the film night on 7 October — on the venue's own ticketing page, entradas.elteatroguiniguada.com; the 5 and 20 euros for MASDANZA Junior on 3 October (masdanza.com and Tickety, both plus a booking fee); and the prize money on masdanza.com/premios. Addendum, 28 September 2026: We are carrying the Tenerife date again — now with a source and a time. The festival itself states "18 OCT – Espacio La Granja – 18:00 h" on masdanza.com/portfolio/md-tenerife, with four competition pieces (“Soft Animals”, “Even Absence Casts No Shadow”, “Muga”, “Ferne Nähe”); the page was last modified on 14 September 2026. The Espacio La Granja still does not list the date in its own October programme: no mention of MASDANZA, no 18 October, but 16 October and then 21 October (checked 28 September 2026). We therefore give both sides. Also clarified: two of the three times we previously gave and removed on 27 September were not 2026 information at all. They came from masdanza.com/masdanza-tenerife, a page headed “PROGRAMA EXTENSIÓN TENERIFE 2024” and last modified on 1 October 2024, which gives 20 October at 19:00 and 21 October at 21:00 at the Teatro Victoria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. That page concerns the 2024 festival, not the 2026 one.