Fiestas de San Juan

San Juan is the classic Spanish midsummer night, and across the Canaries it's marked with bonfires once the dark sets in. El Pinar is a quiet upland village on El Hierro, the smallest and least-visited of the islands, so don't expect a big touristy production. It's locals gathering round the fire, music drifting out, food and drink passed about, and the easy warmth of a place where most people already know each other turning out for the night they've always kept.

You won't need any Spanish to enjoy it. Find the fire, say buenas, and settle in. Some islanders still head to the coast for a midnight paddle, the old idea being that the sea washes the year clean, though up here you're more likely to stay by the flames. It falls each summer on the night of 24 June, and it costs nothing to join.