This weekend on Gran Canaria: Sun & Stars, Kany García and Cubatonazo

The highlight of the weekend: Sun & Stars at the Estadio de Gran Canaria

The strongest weekend of the summer has a name: Sun & Stars, the biggest live-music festival in the Canaries, returns to the Estadio de Gran Canaria after a celebrated first edition. Two days, eight concerts, more than twelve hours of open-air music — Saturday and Sunday, right beside the Arena in Siete Palmas.

Across the two days the bill brings Marc Anthony, the great name of Latin music, the urban poet Residente, the electro-latino king Juan Magán, Sebastián Yatra and the feel-good Efecto Pasillo — with more names to come. The day-by-day running order is announced via sunandstars.es; passes are valid for both days, with single-day tickets to follow.

Friday belongs next door to the Gran Canaria Arena, where Kany García plays her «Puerta Abierta Tour» at 9pm, while the Municipal Symphonic Band closes the Fiestas Fundacionales in the gardens of the Castillo de la Luz, free entry. On Saturday Cubatonazo joins in down south — and over it all a dry summer evening around 24 to 25 degrees, once the grey «panza de burro» of the morning has broken up.

Friday 26 June

Kany García. The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter plays at 9pm at the Gran Canaria Arena, on her «Puerta Abierta Tour 2026». Tickets via ticketmaster.es.

Municipal Symphonic Band of LPGC. At 8pm in the gardens of the Castillo de la Luz, conducted by Fasur Rodríguez — the closing note of the Fiestas Fundacionales, free entry and with the sea in view.

With the evening the club night begins. In Vegueta and Triana the bars around Plaza de Santa Ana fill up, and in the south the terraces of the Yumbo Centre open.

The addresses are further down.

Saturday 27 June

Sun & Stars Festival. Day one of the biggest live-music festival in the Canaries, at the Estadio de Gran Canaria — open air, eight concerts across two days, with Marc Anthony, Residente, Juan Magán, Sebastián Yatra and Efecto Pasillo among the names. Tickets and exact set times via sunandstars.es.

Cubatonazo. The festival of urban and Cuban music comes to Gran Canaria for the first time, stopping at the Ocean Maspalomas Club — open air from noon to 10 pm, with El Chacal, Wampi, El Micha, Dany Ome, Yet Garbey, Kevincito El 13 and El Chulo. Reggaeton and Cuban reparto, right in the south where the crowd already is — the first 2,500 tickets are gone.

Silvia Pérez Cruz. The Catalan singer plays at 8pm in the symphonic hall of the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, within the 20th Festival Mar Abierto and with her programme «Toda la vida, un día» — quiet, finely crafted song, backed by three multi-instrumentalists. Tickets via auditorioalfredokraus.es.

Saturday carries the strongest club night of the week — in Las Palmas and in the south. Where, is further down.

Sunday 28 June

Sun & Stars Festival — day two. Sunday belongs not to quiet but to the second and final day of Sun & Stars at the Estadio de Gran Canaria. Open air again, again well into the night — the close of a festival weekend the island rarely sees.

Beyond that, Sunday stays what it is in summer: a day for the seafront promenade at Playa de las Canteras and the chiringuitos. And in the south the Yumbo Centre runs on Sunday evening too — the drag shows take no weekly break, and the terraces fill as soon as the sun drops behind the dunes.

Las Palmas: the clubs

Las Palmas weekend nightlife spreads across three districts. In Vegueta and Triana, the old town, the bars around Calle Mendizábal, Plaza de Santa Ana and the Monopol terraces fill from late evening.

The best-known venue in the quarter is Alboroto on Calle Remedios 10 — the former Paper Club, a 400-capacity hall with a terrace and programming between indie gig, tribute band and DJ night. Alongside it the Biblioteca Vegueta, a club set in a library on Calle Pelota, the Rampage, and for the quieter cocktail the rooftop La Azotea de Benito on the CC Monopol.

Along Playa de las Canteras the nightlife runs by the beach. The Moma Club on Paseo de las Canteras is the address for electronic music and techno with an alternative crowd, open until 6am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Add the Tao Club & Garden near the marina and, for the concert-goers, the Mojo Club on Ctra. del Rincón beside the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, which pairs a discotheque with a live stage. For blues, there is the Guarida del Blues on the promenade.

The third hub is Santa Catalina and the port area — a dense run of bars and discotecas that go until dawn. The club Fortuni draws the younger, going-out crowd, with Chester right next door.

The evening starts higher up: on the Alis Rooftop Bar above the Hotel Santa Catalina or on the El Tendedero de Catalina terrace. Few venues charge entry — you pay for the drinks.

The south: Yumbo, CC Cita and the lifestyle scene

In the south, the Yumbo Centre in Playa del Inglés is, after sunset, the island’s best-known going-out hub, in large part LGBTQ+ but open to everyone. Its signature is the drag shows, every night, weekends included: Ricky’s Cabaret at 10.30pm, the Sparkles Show Bar with karaoke from 9pm and a show at 11pm, plus Chez Funny Boy’s, Buddies, Centre Stage and Terry’s.

The evening starts on the terraces — Spartacus, Eiffel, Voulez Vous, Gran Café Latino or Adonis. After midnight the dance venues take over: Mykonos, the campier Tubos, Coco Loco and finally Mantrix, the biggest club, open until 6am.

For commercial charts rather than a drag show, the Kasbah Centre in San Agustín is a little further on.

The CC Cita sits in the heart of Playa del Inglés, a few steps from the Yumbo, and is the centre of the south’s lifestyle and swinger scene. The biggest venue is the Swingers Club Secret in the basement, which holds over 500 guests to reggaeton and Spanish house; things are more relaxed at Fun4all, with several playrooms and its own BDSM room.

Add a run of bars and meeting points — HOTSPOT Gran Canaria, the Comeback Bar, Plan B, Tantra and Majestic GC with Mario’s Bar. In the neighbouring CC Sandia is the 2x2 Swingers Club.

These venues are for an adult audience, with proof of age required.

Closely linked is the cruise and fetish scene around the Yumbo, a fixture of the south’s gay nightlife. The Cruise Bar has been going since 1994, alongside Tom’s Cruising Bar, the Strong Construction on the Yumbo ground floor, NOXON on the first floor with a fetish and cruising programme, the Factory and the Zoo Men’s Cruising Bar.

For something calmer, there is the Sauna Enjoy Maspalomas on Avenida de Tirajana.

For live music rather than a DJ, the bars beyond the centres are worth the walk. The Tipsy Hammock Bar on Paseo Costa Canarias plays until 2am, the Cafe Mozart 2 and Al’s Bar in the Gran Chaparral Centre go for handmade music, the Irish Dunes & Tunes sits on the Maspalomas promenade, and the Cafe del Mar on Plaza del Faro in Meloneras pairs the sunset with a live stage.

This Saturday the Ocean Maspalomas Club joins them, when Cubatonazo takes over the south.

FAQ

Where do I get concert tickets?

Sun & Stars at the Estadio de Gran Canaria runs through sunandstars.es, Kany García at the Gran Canaria Arena through ticketmaster.es, Silvia Pérez Cruz at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus through auditorioalfredokraus.es, and Cubatonazo at the Ocean Maspalomas Club through the usual platforms. The close of the Fundacionales at the Castillo de la Luz is free, as is entry to most bars and clubs.

What is the Sun & Stars Festival?

The biggest live-music festival in the Canaries, back after its first edition — on Saturday and Sunday at the Estadio de Gran Canaria, open air, with eight concerts and more than twelve hours of music. Confirmed names include Marc Anthony, Residente, Juan Magán, Sebastián Yatra and Efecto Pasillo, with more to follow.

Passes are valid for both days.

Wasn’t it just San Juan this weekend?

The Noche de San Juan was on the night of Tuesday 23 June, with the bonfires and the fireworks at Los Muellitos and on the beach at Playa del Inglés. This weekend is the first after it: the big fires are over, and the Fiestas Fundacionales bow out on Friday with the symphonic band.

What is Cubatonazo?

A festival of urban and Cuban music making its first stop on Gran Canaria — on Saturday at the Ocean Maspalomas Club, open air from noon to 10 pm, with El Chacal, Wampi, El Micha, Dany Ome and more. Expect reggaeton and Cuban reparto.

How late are the clubs open?

In Las Palmas, clubs such as Moma and Fortuni run until around 6am, while the bars in Vegueta fill from late evening. At the Yumbo Centre the drag shows run all evening and the dance venues until dawn, with Mantrix open until 6am.