Up in Garafía, on La Palma's quieter northern edge, this is the fiesta the rest of the island travels for. It runs around San Antonio's day each June, and it is unapologetically rural. The municipal band and local choir lead a procession to bless the livestock, and the day everyone talks about is the cattle-dragging contest, now in its thirties, where oxen haul weighted sledges across the fairground while the crowd roars them on. There are sheepdog trials, ploughing demonstrations and a horse race, plus a shepherds' jumping display.
The cheese, though, is the real draw. Prize-winning rounds from dairies across the island go under the hammer at a serious auction, and you can taste your way through them. Evenings shift to parrandas, rock bands and verbenas that run past dawn.
