In Lanzarote’s resorts there’s a constantly-changing population of holiday-makers seeking entertainment, and they are well catered for with live music, occasional open air concerts and festivals.
But elsewhere on the island there’s also a thriving cultural scene, with all the arts finding keen and devoted followers. If you’re interested in Lanzarote’s cultural life, here are a few tips to follow.
FILMS
Must-see movies for Lanzarote lovers include the classic Hammer film One Million Years BC, in which Raquel Welch runs around Papagayo beach and El Golfo in the fur bikini that amazed the world. El Golfo is also a main location in Enemy Mine, a brilliant sci-fi film by Wolfgang Peterson.
Spain’s most acclaimed film director, Pedro Almodóvar, has filmed twice on the island, first with Penelope Cruz in Broken Embraces, and earlier this year with his latest film, Bitter Christmas.
Of the dozens of other films shot on the island, we’d recommend Cold Skin, a tale of sea monsters set on the Tinajo coast, and the Route To Salinas, which was one of Rita Hayworth’s final films. Neither is a masterpiece, but the island landscapes are superb in both.
TV
The UK’s favourite Time Lord, Dr Who, has a special fondness for Lanzarote. The fifth doctor, Peter Davison, arrived on the island for the Planet of Fire episode in 1984, and the twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, landed in the Volcán del Cuervo in 2014.
The Black Mirror sci-fi series also visited the island, most notably for the brilliant USS Callister episode starring Jesse Plemmons, where aliens attacked the crew in the bizarre, wind-carved quarries near Teseguite.
Apple’s sci-fi series Foundation and the Spanish Netflix show Welcome To Eden have also featured Lanzarote heavily
MUSIC
Lanzarote has a strong musical history, and its folk music scene remains strong. If you’re interested in local folk music, a visit to the Timple Museum in Teguise is a must but also keep your eyes open for performances by local groups, especially during festivities.
The first international star from Lanzarote was the Arrecife girl, Luisa Linares, who enjoyed hits in popular latin styles throughout the 1950s and 60s.
More recently, a force of nature called Rosana achieved international success in the late 90s with her joyful, beautiful songs.
Lanzarote also has a surprisingly strong rock scene, although concerts aren’t always easy to find. This month’s Arrecife En Vivo street festival is a good place to start.
Classical music is also popular, with the Canarian Classical Festival usually bringing some terrific performers to the island at the start of the year.
BOOKS
There aren’t too many English-language books set on Lanzarote, but classic historical writer Mary Stewart’s The Wind Off The Small Isles captures the island before tourism transformed it. French author Michel Houellebecq’s Lanzarote, a short novel which celebrates the stark beauty of the island while aiming sharp, funny barbs at tourists, is also available in English.
George Glas’s History of the Canary Islands, published in 1764, is a vital historical source with plenty of information about old Lanzarote, and Olivia Stone, the Victorian traveller, is also amusing and informative in Tenerife and Its Six Satellites.
Spanish language is more fertile, with classics including Rafael Azorazena’s sweeping romance Mararía, the Lanzarote Notebooks of the Nobel laureate José Saramago and Agustin Espinosa’s classic surrealist work Lancelot Lancelot 28º – 7º.
ART
The name of César Manrique still dominates Lanzarote’s art scene. That’s because his vision still dominates the island itself , with millions of tourists visiting the Centres of Art and Culture he helped to establish in the 60s and 70s.
However, it’s worth exploring more deeply. At the Museum of Modern Art in the Castillo de San José you can see works by artists such as Pancho Lasso, who strongly influenced Manrique. Other notable artists on the island include Rafael Gopar, creator of delightfully playful sculptures and paintings, and the multi-media artist Ildefonso Aguilar. Meanwhile, the husband- and-wife team of Paco Curbelo and Rufina Santana run a fascinating arts centre in San Bartolomé.
In the old town of Teguise you’ll find artists and creators at every turn, and a trip to El Almacén, the art centre created by Manrique in the 70s, is always worthwhile to catch up with current Canarian artists.
DANCE AND PERFORMING ARTS
Lanzarote has a strong commitment to the performing arts, and its worth looking out for modern dance events from the Escena Lanzarote project, which stages dance and theatre events in the spectacular surroundings of the island’s Centres of Art and Culture.
Haría’s circus festival, Malabharía, is another jewel, taking place at the very start of the New Year, while Tías’s puppet festival in June also brings plenty of fun and spectacle.
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