Corpus Christi Flower Carpets in La Orotava
We mentioned it in passing when talking about the best time to visit, but it deserves its own space: the Corpus Christi Carpets of La Orotava are weeks of residents' work turned into a fleeting tapestry that covers the streets of the old town for just one day a year.
What they actually are
Residents and associations in La Orotava design and lay out carpets made from flowers, different coloured soils, and volcanic sand brought down from El Teide. The largest, in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, is made with this volcanic sand and is the image that appears most often in the press every year. Residents spend weeks preparing the largest one; the flower carpets in the streets are laid during the day itself and, in the evening, the procession walks over them and undoes them.
When it happens
The big carpet day in La Orotava is not the official Corpus Christi day but the Thursday of the following week: the so-called “Thursday of the carpets” (jueves de las alfombras). Corpus Christi always falls 60 days after Easter Sunday (it usually falls between late May and June), so the date changes every year: in 2026 Corpus Christi was on 4 June and the carpets were laid on Thursday 11 June; in 2025 Corpus Christi was on 19 June and the carpets on Thursday 26 June. Check the current year's date on the La Orotava town hall website before planning your trip.
Getting there from El Sauzal
El Sauzal and La Orotava are about 13 minutes apart by van, so you can see the carpets in the morning and carry on with the rest of your day without needing a separate hire car.
Before you come
For sleeping, our advice stays the same as always: check Park4Night before choosing where to spend the night. Choose your campervan and your dates in our fleet search.