San Andrés in Tenerife
At the end of November the north of Tenerife opens its new wine and makes a lot of noise about it. In Icod de los Vinos riders slide down the steepest streets on wooden boards, and in Puerto de la Cruz families drag strings of tins through town on the eve of Saint Andrew. In 2026 the celebrations run from 27 to 30 November.
Highlights
Riders on greased wooden boards racing down Icod de los Vinos' steepest streets, Calle del Plano above all
The first bottle of the new harvest uncorked in Icod's main square
Puerto de la Cruz's clattering cacharros procession, ending with chestnuts in Plaza del Charco
A local, end-of-harvest festival in Tenerife's green and less-visited north
Date & Schedule
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| San Andrés 2026 | Friday 27 – Monday 30 November 2026 |
| New wine uncorked (Icod) | Friday 27 November; time to be confirmed |
| Board runs (Icod) | Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November |
| Cacharros (Puerto de la Cruz) | Eve of San Andrés, Sunday 29 November, from dusk |
| Saint Andrew's Day | Monday 30 November |
| Entry | Free street events; you pay for wine and food |
| Location | Icod de los Vinos and Puerto de la Cruz, north Tenerife |
2026 planning note: Spain holds a general election on Sunday 29 November 2026, the eve of San Andrés. On 9 October the mayor of Icod de los Vinos confirmed that the Tablas will go ahead and that the council has rearranged the programme around the vote: the first bottle of new wine is uncorked on Friday 27 November, the arrastre and other activities move to Saturday 28, and the usual streets will also be ready for the board runs on Sunday 29. Detailed streets and times had not been published by 28 October, and neither had Puerto de la Cruz's 2026 programme, so check both councils' notices before you travel.
What Is San Andrés in Tenerife?
In the north of Tenerife, the feast of Saint Andrew on 30 November marks the moment the year's wine is ready to drink. Bodegas open the new vintage, chestnut sellers set up on street corners and two very noisy customs take over the streets: in Icod de los Vinos people ride wooden boards down the town's steep streets, and in Puerto de la Cruz children and adults drag clattering strings of tins and old pots through the old town.
Icod de los Vinos: the Tablas de San Andrés
The tablas are simple wooden boards. Riders, mostly young locals, sit on them, often after rubbing wax or animal fat on the underside to go faster, and launch themselves down the steepest streets of the old town while spectators line the pavements. Calle del Plano is the best-known run; in 2025 the council named Calle del Plano and Calle Antonio González as the main streets and closed them to traffic from 28 to 30 November.
The board runs come wrapped in a wine festival. Recent editions have opened with the ceremonial uncorking of the first bottle of the harvest in Plaza de Andrés de Lorenzo Cáceres, followed by a wine party with local bodegas and, in 2025, a Batalla de Polkas on Saint Andrew's day. Icod belongs to the Ycoden-Daute-Isora wine denomination, and young local wine is what you will be poured.
Puerto de la Cruz: Cacharros and Chestnuts
On the eve of San Andrés, Puerto de la Cruz corre los cacharros: people tie tins, cans, pots and old tools to lengths of wire and drag them through the streets, a deafening procession that ends in Plaza del Charco. The noise is the whole point. The square then turns into a castañada, with roast chestnuts, sweet potatoes, cherne (wreckfish), gofio and local wine. Children are the stars: in 2023 the council ran a workshop in Plaza del Charco where families could make their own cacharros, and the town's primary schools took part.
Where to Stay
- Puerto de la Cruz – the north coast's main resort, with the widest choice of hotels and the cacharros on your doorstep
- Icod de los Vinos – a few small hotels and rural houses; the only way to avoid the drive back after the board runs
- La Orotava – a historic town between the two, handy if you have a car
Weather in Late November
- Mild days, but cloud and showers are common in the north of the island
- Evenings are cool and damp, roughly 15–18 °C
- Bring a light waterproof and closed shoes with good grip
Read More
For food, bodegas and a two-day plan, read our San Andrés in Tenerife guide. The island's next big party is the Carnival of Tenerife in February, and Catalonia celebrates its own chestnut feast with the Castanyada on All Saints. See all Canary Islands festivals and the festivals in Spain in November.
Gallery
History & Origins
San Andrés belongs to the wine calendar. By the end of November the new wine has finished fermenting, the bodegas open it, and the saint's day became the harvest party of Tenerife's wine country. The noise has its own stories, which vary from town to town. Puerto de la Cruz's council explains the cacharros as a memory of the old winemakers who dragged their barrels through the streets down to the sea to wash them before storing the new wine; the tins and pots children pull today keep that sound alive. In Icod de los Vinos, local accounts tie the boards to the days when timber was brought down from the hills to the coast, and to the wine-cellar workers who rode wooden planks down the slopes. Whatever the origin, the custom has outlived its working purpose: today the boards are built for speed, the streets are closed to traffic and protected at the bottom, and the whole town comes out to watch.
What to Expect
Expect noise, crowds and the smell of roasting chestnuts. In Icod, thousands of people pack the pavements of the steep streets; the riders come down fast, sitting or lying on their boards, and the crowd cheers every run and every crash into the protection at the bottom. The streets near the runs get slippery, and bodegas and bars pour young wine in small glasses all evening. In Puerto de la Cruz the cacharros are a family affair: children lead the procession with their strings of cans, the clatter echoes down the narrow streets and everyone ends up eating chestnuts in Plaza del Charco. The atmosphere is local and good-humoured rather than touristy, and in 2026 it will be shaped by election day on the 29th, so keep your plans flexible until the final programmes are out.
How to Get There
By air: Tenerife North airport (TFN) is the closest, about 40 minutes by car from Icod de los Vinos and around 25 minutes from Puerto de la Cruz. Tenerife South (TFS), with more international flights, is roughly 1h15–1h30 from Icod by motorway.
By bus: TITSA buses connect Puerto de la Cruz with Icod de los Vinos in about an hour, but services thin out late at night, so check the last bus back.
By car: The TF-5 and TF-42 run along the north coast. Expect road closures and very limited parking in Icod's historic centre during the board runs; arrive early or park on the edge of town.
Tips & Advice
Can visitors ride a board? Watching is the safe choice. Riders come down at speed and cannot stop; only take part with local guidance and within the safety rules the council publishes for 2026.
Where should I stand? Behind the barriers in the signed spectator areas, never in the street between runs. Keep children beside you, ideally on a step or in a doorway.
Will the election change the dates? Icod has confirmed the Tablas go ahead, with the wine uncorking on 27 November and activities on 28 and 29 November. Check the final programme and street closures before you go.
Is it free? Yes, the street events are free. Bring cash in small notes for chestnuts, wine and food stalls.
Should I drive? Only with a designated driver. The new wine flows freely, roads close around the runs and taxis are scarce late at night.
Plan Your Trip
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Photos: Flocci Nivis / CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons; Gabrielaluish / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons; -wuppertaler / CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons; El fosilmaníaco / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons; bea & txema & alan / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons; Adriana Lashley / Pexels; Atlantic Ambience / Pexels
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