Gran Canaria this weekend, 13–15 November: I Love Reggaeton, Leo & Leo

Weekend highlight: I Love Reggaeton and Leo & Leo

The biggest night out of the weekend is I Love Reggaeton Gran Canaria on Friday, 13 November, at the Anexo del Estadio de Gran Canaria in Las Palmas. The festival website gives no start time; entry is 18 and over, with tickets from €41 for general access, from €69 with Front Stage access and from €99 as Standing VIP. The line-up is on the festival website.

For a quieter evening, Leonor Watling and Leo Sidran perform as «Leo & Leo» at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus on Friday at 20:30, part of the Rincón del Jazz cycle (Jazz Otoño). The same evening Karel Mark Chichon conducts Shostakovich and Mussorgsky with the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, starting at 20:00.

The automatic AEMET forecast for Las Palmas (10 November, 07:05) gives Friday 21 to 25 degrees with light rain (95 per cent), Saturday 21 to 25 degrees with light rain (90 per cent) and Sunday 21 to 25 degrees with light rain (75 per cent), with wind around 15 kilometres per hour. The forecast is three to five days out and may still change; for open-air events such as Friday's festival, check the organisers' notices.

Friday, 13 November

Las Palmas. I Love Reggaeton at the Anexo del Estadio (see above). The Auditorio Alfredo Kraus has two concerts that evening: the Philharmonic at 20:00 and Leo & Leo at 20:30. According to Nyxell, Moma Club runs its Friday night from midnight to 06:00. The Teatro Cuyás stages the show «Flamenc Oh!» at 19:30, again on Saturday.

North and centre. In Ingenio the Centro Cultural Federico García Lorca shows «Esto es una traca» at 20:30. In Agüimes the Teatro Auditorio hosts «M.A.R. – Mujeres Africanas Rodando», a meeting with films by women directors from the African continent, free entry, until Saturday.

South. The drag shows at the Yumbo Centre run as every evening. Swingers Club Secret in CC Cita opens from 22:00 to 05:00, and at HOTSPOT resident DJ No Sugar plays on Fridays. Esney Morales plays at 18:00 at Bruma Selva in Meloneras, the Blues Hunters at 21:00 at Café Mozart 2 in CC Anexo II and Christopher Burke at 21:00 at Bar De Lantaarn.

Saturday, 14 November

Las Palmas. At Alboroto «Grunge is not Dead», a live tribute to the nineties, runs from 19:00. At the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus Alba Gil Aceytuno performs «Pleito» (19:30) and «Techno Pop» follows (20:00); at the Teatro Guiniguada Augusto Báez plays «Sempiterno» in the Jazz Otoño cycle (20:00). At Imaginario Drinks & Music the band Barbanegra presents its third album at 21:00 (tickets from €8.30), and Moma Club runs its Saturday night until 06:00. Free live music runs from 19:00 to 22:30 at La Cícer on Las Canteras beach.

The «Love the 90's Gran Canaria» festival takes place at the same Anexo del Estadio on Saturday, 14 November, according to the festival website; start time and line-up are not confirmed.

North and centre. In Telde Clearwater Creedence Revival plays at 20:30 at the Teatro Municipal Juan Ramón Jiménez. In Teror Jorge Bolaños brings his comedy «Animal de compañía» to the Auditorio at 20:30 (€10), and in Gáldar Jorge Ávila performs «Todo pa' última hora» at 20:00 at the Centro Cultural Guaires. In Tejeda the Feria KM.0 Gran Canaria runs on Saturday and Sunday. In Telde the Fiestas de San Gregorio run from Friday to Sunday; on Saturday at 20:00 the programme includes a folk festival on the Plaza de San Gregorio.

South. The Sparkles Show Bar at the Yumbo Centre has its show at 23:00. At Café Mozart 2 the Blues Hunters play at 21:00, at Bruma Selva Gio Box at 17:00 and at Turbo Club Apartamentos Christopher Burke at 21:00; karaoke starts at 19:00 at Il Mio Caffè and at Restaurante Que Pasa Tío. Swingers Club Secret is open from 22:00 to 05:00.

Sunday, 15 November

Las Palmas. At 18:00 the Orquesta Comunitaria de Gran Canaria plays the programme «Érase una vez… la tele» at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. At 12:00 Cello Doppio gives a free benefit concert at the Gabinete Literario (Domingos Musicales).

North and centre. In Moya the island's brass bands meet at 12:30 on Plaza de Tomás Morales for the Encuentro Insular de Bandas de Música. In Gáldar the Mercado Agrícola opens from 09:00 to 13:30 on Plaza de Santiago; at the Centro Cultural Guaires Iván Torres, singer of the band Efecto Pasillo, performs «Más allá del Pasillo», with no time given in the announcement. In Ingenio the Centro Cultural shows «Todo incluido» at 18:30.

South. At Café Mozart 2 the Sunday Frühschoppen starts at 11:00, followed by René's Dünenparty (14:00), Joe Steen (16:00), Gary Lithgow (18:00) and Yona (20:00). Duo Chocolate plays at 18:00 at Bruma Selva, Gio Box at 20:30 at That's AMORE and Noelia Vera at 20:00 at Il Mio Caffè. The drag shows at the Yumbo Centre carry on.

Las Palmas: the clubs this 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 is The Paper Club on Calle Remedios: a hall for around 400 people, programming between indie concerts and DJ nights. Alongside it the mainstream club Alboroto, open Saturdays until five in the morning, and the rooftop terrace La Azotea de Benito at Centro Comercial Monopol, Fridays and Saturdays 5 pm to 2 am.

In Las Palmas the regular programme applies. Moma Club offers live DJ sessions from Thursday to Saturday, until 06:00 each night; Nyxell lists «Moma Friday» and «Moma Saturday» from midnight, and no special programme has been announced. At Alboroto «Grunge is not Dead», a tribute to the nineties, runs from 19:00 on Saturday. Anyone who wants to move on afterwards will find the usual bars in Vegueta and along the Canteras promenade.

Around Parque Santa Catalina, Chester draws a young crowd with two floors and commercial music. The subculture corner is served by El Baladero, a cultural association with electronic series such as Aurora. Very few venues charge entry — you pay at the bar.

The south: Yumbo, CC Cita and the lifestyle scene

The Yumbo Centre has four floors, is largely LGBTQ+ and open to everyone. The drag shows run every evening: at Ricky's Cabaret Bar the main show starts around 22:30 with free entry, at the Sparkles Show Bar on the second floor karaoke begins at 21:00 and the show at 23:00, and there are more at Chez Funny Boy's, Buddies, Centre Stage and Terry's. The evening starts on the terraces of Spartacus, Eiffel, Voulez Vous, Gran Café Latino or Adonis. After midnight Mykonos and Coco Loco take over, and finally Mantrix until six in the morning. For commercial charts, head to the Kasbah Centre.

Steps from the Yumbo, in the heart of Playa del Inglés, sits CC Cita — the hub of the south's lifestyle and swinger scene. The largest club of its kind is the Swingers Club Secret in the basement: Reggaeton and Spanish House, over 500 guests on busy nights, Friday and Saturday 22:00–05:00, Sunday 22:00–04:00. Fun4all is quieter, with several playrooms and its own BDSM room, Saturdays with «Dirty Disco Night» from midnight; couples enter free, single men pay €30 including a drink. Add the meeting points HOTSPOT on the second floor (daily 20:00–02:00, Fridays with live DJ), the Comeback Bar (20:30–01:00, no playrooms), Plan B, Tantra and Majestic GC, formerly Mario's Bar. In nearby CC Sandia, Entry from 18 everywhere; ID required.

The cruise and fetish scene runs on its normal weekly rhythm. The Factory behind the Yumbo Spar is open Friday and Saturday from 21:00 to 04:00 and on Sunday from 17:00 to 03:00 (the first four hours as a nude session), men only (entry €10 including a drink token). NOXON on the first floor of the Yumbo opens daily from 21:00 to 02:00, with free entry from 21:00 to 01:00. Permanent addresses remain Cruise Bar (since 1994), Tom's Cruising Bar and Strong Construction on the ground floor; Sauna Enjoy Maspalomas on Avenida de Tirajana is the only sauna in the south. The Zoo Men's Cruising Bar opens at 21:00 according to its weekly programme: «Gear welcome» on Friday and Saturday, «Bear Den» on Sunday.

And live music: Café Mozart 2 in CC Anexo II is the top venue for live music and the Sunday-morning session. Tipsy Hammock Bar on Paseo Costa Canarias serves craft cocktails and music until 02:00 on the roof terrace. Café Bolle Jan in CC Cita brings drag and live music from 22:00; the Irish bar Dunes & Tunes in Maspalomas fills after dark, and Cafe del Mar Meloneras on Plaza del Faro offers open-air early evening.

FAQ

What's on in Gran Canaria this weekend?

On Friday, 13 November, I Love Reggaeton plays the Anexo del Estadio in Las Palmas (tickets from €41, 18+) and Leo & Leo perform at 20:30 at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. On Saturday, 14 November, «Grunge is not Dead» runs from 19:00 at Alboroto. On Sunday, 15 November, the Auditorio shows «Érase una vez… la tele» at 18:00. At night Moma Club in Las Palmas and the drag shows at the Yumbo Centre are open.

What is the age limit for I Love Reggaeton, and what do tickets cost?

Entry is 18 and over. Tickets cost from €41 for general access, from €69 with Front Stage access and from €99 as Standing VIP; they are personalised and must be registered in the visitor's name.

What will the weather be like this weekend?

The AEMET forecast of 9 November gives rain in Las Palmas on all three days: 20 to 25 degrees on Friday, 21 to 25 degrees with light rain on Saturday and Sunday. The forecast may still change.

How late are the clubs open?

Moma Club in Las Palmas runs until 06:00 on Friday and Saturday. Swingers Club Secret is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 22:00 to 05:00, and the main show at Ricky's Cabaret Bar in the Yumbo Centre starts around 22:30.

What is free?

The M.A.R. film meeting in Agüimes (until Saturday), the Cello Doppio benefit concert on Sunday at 12:00 at the Gabinete Literario and the drag shows at Ricky's Cabaret Bar are free. For a stroll there are the Mercado Agrícola in Gáldar (Sunday, 09:00 to 13:30) and the Feria KM.0 in Tejeda.