La Laguna shines brightly during Heritage Night 2025 with a celebration that brings together tradition, art and memory.

The World Heritage city enjoys an unforgettable day with contemporary dance, live music, cinema, guided tours and traditions.

Heritage Night

La Laguna celebrated the eighth edition of Heritage Night today, a cultural event that this year coincided with the 25th anniversary of its declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage City and with the Fiestas del Cristo. Thousands of people gathered in the historic centre to enjoy a diverse, free and open programme of events, with around twenty activities that transformed squares, streets and emblematic buildings into living stages of tradition, art and memory.

The mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, described the day as “a showcase of what our city represents: a synthesis of cultures, a living expression of coexistence and respect for memory; a city with a soul that has beaten strongly today. We have seen children, elderly people, artists and neighbours sharing spaces, stories and emotions in a shared celebration that connects us with our roots and projects us into the future”.

For Adolfo Cordobés, Councillor for Cultural Heritage, ‘this edition has confirmed that La Laguna is a city that cares for its heritage and shares it to ensure its survival for future generations. The public has responded enthusiastically and each activity has been an opportunity to rediscover the city through new languages, such as dance, music and audiovisual memory.’

The day began with stage performances at midday and continued until almost midnight, with around twenty activities organised under the headings Heritage Stage, Open Heritage, Experience Heritage and Night of Traditions.

In contemporary dance, the highlight was the work ‘Añil’ by guest dancer Carlos Carvento, performed in the cloister of the former convent of Santo Domingo, a historic space converted into one of the city’s main cultural venues. This section was reinforced by a theatrical tour of the streets and squares by companies such as ARTA Company, La Basal and DUAL, under the direction of Raúl Rugarcía.

Important historical buildings, such as the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto and the Museo de Arte Sacro de Santa Clara, revealed their secrets in nine guided night tours, led by Localiando.

Audiovisual memorabilia played a very significant role in this edition, with the audiovisual premiere of the documentary “San Benito. Desconocido patrimonio, entre historia, plagas y tradiciones” (San Benito. Unknown heritage, between history, plagues and traditions), directed by Ángel Pérez Quintero, and the Colecta Memoria project, a proposal by filmmaker Dailo Barco for the recovery of professional and amateur film heritage, an initiative that incorporates dialogue with the public and offered a novel and intimate journey through the history of La Laguna in the 20th century.

One of the most emotional moments was the Pandorga and Fire Horses Parade, with the participation of more than 400 schoolchildren and local residents, accompanied by giants, big-heads, marching bands and fanfares.

Traditional music also played a leading role with the Night of Traditions in the Plaza del Cristo, with tributes to residents who have excelled in the cultural promotion of the towns and neighbourhoods of La Laguna, as well as performances by Achamán, Pieles and a large percussion group made up of a hundred people.

Heritage Night was celebrated simultaneously in Spain’s 15 World Heritage Cities, consolidating a cultural network unique in Europe that places heritage at the heart of sustainable development and social cohesion. In La Laguna, this year’s edition has also reinforced the city’s role as a cultural reference point and a model of living, inclusive and participatory heritage management in the Canary Islands.