Festival
Fiesta de la Vendimia
The Fiesta de la Vendimia (Grape Harvest Festival) is popular and much loved by everyone in Fuencaliente. It has been celebrated since the 19th century, and at first the events took place in the neighbourhood of Los Quemados. It was not until 1948 that it moved for good to its current home: the neighbourhood of Los Canarios. The Fiesta de la Vendimia is full of cultural and sporting events, such as the performance of the theatre association "Las Viejas Solteronas", whose popular comedy — a group of friends acting out their story with song as the common thread, women lamenting with great mischief having been left single at home — delights locals and visitors alike. Also outstanding are the versadores, poets able to improvise and sing décimas (ten-line stanzas) to musical accompaniment, capturing the attention of all who listen.
The Fiesta de la Vendimia (Grape Harvest Festival) is popular and much loved by everyone in Fuencaliente. It has been celebrated since the 19th century, and at first the events took place in the neighbourhood of Los Quemados. It was not until 1948 that it moved for good to its current home: the neighbourhood of Los Canarios. The Fiesta de la Vendimia is full of cultural and sporting events, such as the performance of the theatre association "Las Viejas Solteronas", whose popular comedy — a group of friends acting out their story with song as the common thread, women lamenting with great mischief having been left single at home — delights locals and visitors alike. Also outstanding are the versadores, poets able to improvise and sing décimas (ten-line stanzas) to musical accompaniment, capturing the attention of all who listen.
On the day of the romería (festive pilgrimage), a parade of floats from each of the municipality's neighbourhoods takes place, with popular folklore resounding at the hands of A.F. Echentive and invited groups. The floats, prepared months in advance, are decorated with objects related to the grape harvest and recreate scenes of the work of picking grapes. Typical local products are handed out and, of course, wine — with the La Palma Designation of Origin — from the municipality's most representative wineries.
And as the grand finale, the traditional dance of the Caballos Fuscos (the "dusky horses"), made from a frame of wood and wattle covered with cloth and tissue paper of many colours, parading through the streets to the village square, where the crowd awaits them to the rhythm of the polka played by the municipal music band. A great many tourists come to Fuencaliente to enjoy this festival — and there is nothing better than a taste of the local wines and cuisine to draw people in.
