Gran Canaria this weekend, 23–25 October: WOMEX, La Oreja de Van Gogh

The highlight of the weekend: WOMEX and La Oreja de Van Gogh

The WOMEX 26 world-music fair turns Las Palmas into a stage: according to womex.com it runs from 21 to 25 October, while the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus lists 22 to 24 October for the concerts. The plan is 53 showcase concerts at the Auditorio and the Plaza de la Música plus 9 concerts on the offWOMEX stage at Las Canteras beach; times and admission for individual acts could not be confirmed.

The biggest single concert is La Oreja de Van Gogh on Friday 23 October at 21:00 at the Anexo Estadio de Gran Canaria, tickets from €55. The tour is called «Tantas cosas que contar».

The AEMET forecast only reaches Wednesday: 25 degrees in Las Palmas with a 5 per cent chance of rain, 22 in Maspalomas. There are no figures for the weekend itself yet.

Friday, 23 October

Las Palmas. Besides La Oreja de Van Gogh at 21:00, Delia Santana presents «Epístola» at the Espacio Cultural Jesús Arencibia (20:00, €10). According to the concert listings of quehacerenlaspalmas.com, a tribute evening to Paco de Lucía with Reynier Mariño starts at 19:30 at Canes del Círculo. Moma Club lists Thursday to Saturday as its regular nights, 23:00 to 06:00.

South. The Factory behind the Yumbo Spar hosts «VICE», starting at 21:00, entry €10 including one drink token. The drag shows at the Yumbo Centre run as every evening. The Gio Box ABBA tribute is not in the south but a dinner show at Casino Las Palmas, in the evening (sources say 20:00 or 21:00).

Saturday, 24 October

Gáldar and around. At 20:30 the Festival Agáldar Cultura y Tradición begins in front of the Santuario de Santiago in Gáldar, with Canarian soloists and groups and the Banda Municipal. In the morning, 09:00 to 14:00, the Feria KM.0 farmers market takes place in Santa Brígida; in Arucas the «Senderos en Familia» family weekend runs (€30 per family).

Las Palmas. The listings show Víctor Lemes at 19:30 at Canes del Círculo and «La Cantina del Despecho» at 20:30 at Sala Canarias en Vivo.

South. Karaoke starts at 19:00 at «Que Pasa Tío» on Avenida de Tirajana, and at 20:00 Noelia Vera sings at Il Mio Caffè. Gio Box plays Il Ponte Vecchio from about 19:00 to 20:00 (the time differs by source) and Café Bolle Jan in CC Cita at 22:30. The Factory has «SATURDAY XXX» from 21:00 to 04:00. In Vecindario, Leyenda Joven, Star Music and Armonía Show play the Verbena de San Rafael from 22:30.

Sunday, 25 October

Café Mozart 2 in CC Anexo II invites to its Sunday pint at 11:00. In the evening Duo Chocolate play at 19:00 at Bruma Selva in CC Sunset Beach in Meloneras, there is karaoke at Il Mio Caffè at 19:00, and Gio Box performs at 20:30 at Ristorante La Piazza in CC Anexo II.

At The Factory, «NU-DI-TY» starts at 17:00, with the «Naked Hours» lasting until 21:00. In Vecindario, Braulio plays at 20:00 at the Recinto Ferial. The clocks go back in the night to Sunday, so whoever stays out late gains an hour.

Looking ahead. On Friday and Saturday, 30 and 31 October, the Maspaterror Halloween programme takes place at Parque Sur in Maspalomas.

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, 23:00 to 06:00 each night; no specific guests for 23 and 24 October could be found. Alboroto lists no event on its website for this weekend. Anyone who wants to move on after a WOMEX concert 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. Fun4all is quieter, with several playrooms and its own BDSM room, Saturdays with «Dirty Disco Night» from midnight. 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.