La Laguna is getting ready for two days of culture, dance and history as Las Noches del Patrimonio arrives on 18 and 19 September 2026.
The event brings together Spain’s World Heritage Cities in a simultaneous celebration of heritage and contemporary culture. La Laguna has chosen to hold its programme a week later than the other 14 cities in the network, avoiding a clash with the Fiestas del Cristo and giving people a better chance to enjoy both.
It makes sense. There is already enough going on in La Laguna around this time of year without asking everyone to be in two places at once.
As the only World Heritage City in the Canary Islands, La Laguna will bring its own perspective to the event, with the historic centre becoming a stage for performances, guided visits, exhibitions and activities focused on collective memory.
Three ways to experience the heritage
The programme is divided into three main sections: Vive Patrimonio, Abierto Patrimonio and Escena Patrimonio.
There will be contemporary dance, workshops, guided tours, historical activities and the chance to visit parts of several historic buildings that aren’t normally open to the public.
Everything is free, although some activities have limited places and require advance registration.
The programme begins with dance and movement workshops. Yapci Ramos and María Ibarretxe will present Monumenta Performance at Casa Anchieta, while the Grupo de Estudios Artísticos from Chile and Peru will explore body, territory and memory at the former convent of Santo Domingo.
Dance, technology and a few unusual sounds
One of the main performances in Escena Patrimonio will be the premiere of Sangre mineral on 18 September at Parque del Drago.
Created by Pseudónimo Cía. and CRUDO Colectivo, with guest artist Paula Quintana, the performance uses geophones and microcontrollers to turn vibrations from the performers’ bodies into sound.
So, not your average Friday night in La Laguna.
On 19 September, Monumenta Performance moves to Plaza de La Concepción, where nine dancers will bring female Guanche figures from Yapci Ramos’ Monumenta sculptural installation to life through movement.
The idea is to translate the memory of the pedestal into dance, connecting contemporary artistic creation with indigenous identity.
Discovering La Laguna’s artistic memory
The Vive Patrimonio programme includes La Laguna es curiosa, an educational initiative aimed at primary school pupils.
There will also be the presentation of Lagunear. Memoria y transformación at 11:30 on Saturday in the Sala de Cámara at Teatro Leal.
The catalogue brings together almost 200 works by more than 70 authors, documenting five centuries of artistic creation connected with the Canary Islands.
A chance to see behind closed doors
Abierto Patrimonio will give visitors access to lesser-known parts of the Convent of Santa Clara de Asís, the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Instituto de Canarias-Cabrera Pinto on 18 and 19 September.
Another activity, La Laguna: un patrimonio de altura, will offer guided visits to towers and other restricted areas.
Places are limited to 20 people per group, so this is one where booking ahead is definitely worth doing.
Sixteen guided routes around the historic centre
There will also be 16 guided routes through La Laguna’s historic centre over the two days.
Tours will take place at:
- 10:00
- 12:00
- 17:00
- 19:00
The routes are organised by official municipal guides and Tenerife APIT, exploring the architecture and urban development that helped La Laguna earn its UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999.
Each tour is limited to 30 participants and requires advance booking.
Tourism councillor Estefanía Díaz highlighted the opportunity to show La Laguna as a place where heritage isn’t simply preserved behind glass or in old buildings, but something people can actually experience.
And that’s probably the best description of the weekend.
For two days, the historic centre becomes a mixture of history, performance, memory and contemporary creativity. A good excuse, even for people who think they already know La Laguna, to have another look.