This weekend on Gran Canaria: LPA BMusic, Lila Downs in Teror and the club night

The highlight of the weekend: LPA BMusic by the sea

Four days of open air right on the coast: LPA BMusic celebrates its 13th edition at Parque Litoral El Rincón in Las Palmas — more than 4,000 square metres of festival ground with sea breeze, food zone and family area. The organisers sum up their philosophy best themselves: no VIPs, no posturing, just emerging Canarian talent alongside established names. Thursday opened with «La Sound Jueves», free entry until full, with Rata, Cervatana and Ale Acosta.

The weekend line-up: Friday is headlined by Def Con Dos and Angelus Apatrida — rap-rock veterans meeting thrash metal — with Loncha Velasco opening at 7pm, Bala at 8.30pm and Fuet closing at 2am. On Saturday, from 6.30pm, come Micromambo, Maika Makovski, La Milagrosa and Alcalá Norte; Aldara and Parquesvr stretch the night to 2am. Sunday is the family day from 1pm with Madafaka, Los Lola, Nueva Línea, El Vega Life and Los Salvapantallas, before Aseres close at 8.30pm.

The sky no longer complicates the open-air weekend: AEMET has withdrawn the Friday rain warning — Saturday is forecast very cloudy but dry at 27 degrees, Sunday partly cloudy and equally dry at 27 degrees. Tickets are sold via tickety.es; children under three get in free, ages two to fifteen need a child ticket, and under-16s must come with an accompanying adult and a signed authorisation.

Friday 11 September

LPA BMusic, day two. The night belongs to Def Con Dos and Angelus Apatrida — it starts at 7pm with Loncha Velasco, Bala, the Galician duo with a taste for noise, play at 8.30pm, Angelus Apatrida follow at 10pm, Def Con Dos at midnight, and Fuet close at 2am. Parque Litoral El Rincón.

Katie James. The Colombian-Irish singer presents her album «Bajo mi corteza» at the 37th Encuentro de Música Teresa de Bolívar on Plaza de Sintes in Teror — at 9pm, after the «Sonidos Migrantes» workshop by Joaquín Sánchez and Adán Moreno at 8pm, followed by an open-air dance. The quieter, but by no means silent, Friday alternative, with free entry.

Savia Nueva. A free gig from the city hall's emerging-talent series: at 8pm at the Las Ramblas shopping centre in Las Palmas, free entry.

In the south, Gio Box sings at 9pm at That's Amore in CC Anexo II, Playa del Inglés, and on Perchel beach in Arguineguín the La Marina Festival kicks off: three days of music by the sea with food trucks and Canarian wines, free entry, running until Sunday. At the Yumbo Centre, Wunderbar spins its Friday Eurovision Night as always — and then the club night begins, with the addresses listed further down.

Saturday 12 September

El Villano Productions. The big night event in the south: over nine hours of electronic music and DJs in the Sala Cactus at Oasis, Maspalomas. Tickets from €13.50 via tictra.com.

Lila Downs in Teror. Day two of the Encuentro Teresa de Bolívar brings the Mexican singer to Plaza de Sintes at 9.30pm — preceded by the II Romería del Timple (from 7pm, setting off from Muro Nuevo) and ContraVentura at 8pm, followed by a Melendi tribute and an open-air dance. Free entry, and one of the strongest names this year's Fiestas del Pino bring to the island.

LPA BMusic, day three with Micromambo from 6.30pm, Maika Makovski at 8.15pm, La Milagrosa at 9.45pm and Alcalá Norte at 11.30pm at Parque Litoral El Rincón; Aldara and Parquesvr play until 2am. Prefer it free? «Música Viva» takes over Plaza del Pilar in Guanarteme from 7 to 10pm — with Velvet Flores and Laiv, free entry until full.

In the south, Gio Box brings the ABBA show «Mamma Mia» to the Three Sisters Pub at the Yumbo Centre at 9.30pm and plays Café Bolle Jan at CC Cita at 10.30pm; Noelia Vera sings at 8.30pm at Il Mio Caffè on Avenida de Italia, and Restaurante Que Pasa Tío on Avenida de Tirajana opens its karaoke stage from 7pm. Wunderbar runs its Retro Night. Afterwards, Saturday carries the strongest club night of the week — in Las Palmas and at the Yumbo alike.

Sunday 13 September

LPA BMusic, final day. Sunday becomes a family day («LPA Fun Family») and starts as early as 1pm: Madafaka, Los Lola, Nueva Línea (3.45pm), El Vega Life and Los Salvapantallas, before Aseres close the festival at 8.30pm — the easy finale by the sea before the week starts again.

Día de las Marías in Teror. The Villa Mariana celebrates its patronal day: at 8pm the Procesión de las Marías moves through town with the Banda de Teror, followed by fireworks — a Sunday evening with a festive note of its own.

The south starts Sunday with morning music at Café Mozart 2 from 11am at CC Anexo II, with Christopher Burke, Detlef Cremer and Luggi Stadlmair; in the evening Gio Box sings at 9pm at Ristorante La Piazza, and the La Marina Festival in Arguineguín winds down on Perchel beach. And because the southern nightlife keeps no weekday rhythm: the drag shows at the Yumbo Centre run on Sundays too, Swingers Club Secret opens at 10pm as it does every day, and Zoo Men's Cruising Bar hosts Simply Naked.

Las Palmas: the clubs of the weekend

The capital's weekend nightlife spreads across three districts. In Vegueta and Triana, the bars around Calle Mendizábal and Plaza de Santa Ana fill up from late evening. The best-known venue in the quarter is The Paper Club on Calle Remedios: a hall for around 400 people, programming between indie gigs and DJ nights. Alongside it, the big mainstream club Alboroto with indoor and outdoor spaces, open until 5am on Saturdays, and for the quieter cocktail the rooftop La Azotea de Benito in the Monopol shopping centre, Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm to 2am.

By Playa de las Canteras, the Moma Club at Playa Chica is the address for electronic music with an alternative crowd. DJ sessions with electronic music run Thursday to Saturday, at the weekend until 6am.

Around Parque Santa Catalina, Chester draws a young crowd across two floors with commercial music. The subculture corner belongs to El Baladero, a cultural association running electronic nights such as the Aurora series. Few venues charge entry — you pay at the bar.

The south: Yumbo, CC Cita and the lifestyle scene

The Yumbo Centre remains the heart of the going-out mile: four storeys, largely LGBTQ+, open to everyone. The drag shows run every night — at Ricky's Cabaret Bar with the main show around 10.30pm and free entry, at the Sparkles Show Bar on the second floor with karaoke from 9pm and drag comedy at 11pm (plus the Sensations Show on Saturdays), and at Chez Funny Boy's, Buddies, Centre Stage and Terry's. The evening begins on the terraces of Spartacus, Eiffel, Voulez Vous, Gran Café Latino or Adonis; Wunderbar plays Eurovision Night on Fridays and Retro Night on Saturdays. After midnight the dance venues take over: Mykonos and Tubos until half past three, Coco Loco and finally Mantrix from 2am to 6am, with a minimum spend at weekends. For commercial chart music, the Kasbah Centre is a short walk away.

A few steps from the Yumbo, right in the heart of Playa del Inglés, sits CC Cita — the centrepiece of the south's lifestyle and swinger scene. The largest club of its kind is Swingers Club Secret in the basement: reggaeton and Spanish house, over 500 guests on strong nights, open daily from 10pm — until 5am on Fridays and Saturdays, until 4am on other days. Fun4all, also in the basement, is the calmer option, with several playrooms and its own BDSM room. Add the meeting points HOTSPOT on the second floor (daily 8pm to 2am, no entry fee), the Comeback Bar on the first floor (from 8pm, deliberately without playrooms), Plan B, Tantra (daily 9pm to 4am) and Majestic GC, long known as Mario's Bar, plus the Lux Club from 11pm. Next door at CC Sandia, the Infinity SW Club is open — «Hot & Thirsty» on Fridays, «Indulge in the Night» on Saturdays, 9pm to 4am. Entry everywhere is 18+ and ID is required.

The cruising and fetish scene clusters around the Yumbo: the Cruise Bar has been going since 1994, daily 10pm to 4am on level two; Tom's Cruising Bar charges no entry; Strong Construction on the ground floor runs 10pm to 6am (€10 including a drink). NOXON on the first floor is the fetish and cruising club with themed nights — Fridays with entry between 9 and 11pm. The Factory behind the Yumbo Spar runs «Hardwire» on Fridays and «Grip» on Saturdays, both from 9pm; Zoo Men's Cruising Bar hosts «All Fetish» on Fridays and Saturdays and «Simply Naked» on Sundays. By day, Sauna Enjoy Maspalomas on Avenida de Tirajana is the only sauna in the south, daily 2pm to 10pm.

And the live music: the Tipsy Hammock Bar on Paseo Costa Canarias serves craft cocktails on its roof terrace, with a resident saxophonist and a DJ until 2am. Café Mozart 2 and Al's Bar at CC Anexo II play through most of the weekend, with Sunday morning music from 11am. Café Bolle Jan at CC Cita brings drag and live music from 10pm — this Saturday with Gio Box. The Irish bar Dunes & Tunes in Maspalomas fills up after dark, and Cafe del Mar Meloneras at Plaza del Faro plays open air: live music in the early evening, then DJs until late.

FAQ

Where do I get tickets for the festival and concerts?

LPA BMusic tickets are sold via tickety.es and the festival website lpabmusicfestival.com; El Villano Productions at Oasis via tictra.com, from €13.50. The drag shows at the Yumbo Centre need no ticket — entry is free, with drinks expected.

What will the weekend weather be like?

Better than reported: AEMET has withdrawn the Friday rain warning. Saturday is forecast very cloudy but dry at 27 degrees, Sunday partly cloudy and equally dry at 27 degrees — nothing stands in the way of the open-air programme at Parque Litoral and on the terraces.

How late are the clubs open?

In Las Palmas, Moma Club plays until 6am at the weekend; Alboroto closes at 5am on Saturdays. At the Yumbo, Mykonos and Tubos run until half past three, Mantrix from 2am to 6am. CC Cita starts earlier: Swingers Club Secret opens daily at 10pm.

What is free this weekend?

«Música Viva» on Saturday at Plaza del Pilar (7 to 10pm) is free, as are the Savia Nueva gig on Friday at CC Las Ramblas, the La Marina Festival in Arguineguín all weekend, the drag shows at the Yumbo Centre and the Sunday morning music at Café Mozart 2. LPA BMusic and El Villano Productions are ticketed events.

Can I bring children to the festival?

At LPA BMusic, yes: children under three get in free, ages two to fifteen need a child ticket, and under-16s must be accompanied by an adult with a signed authorisation. The festival Sunday is laid out as a family day, and the Sunday morning music in the south is also family-friendly.