What's on in Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is the second-largest Canary Island and the closest to Africa, and it's defined by space — mile after mile of pale sand, the great dune fields of Corralejo in the north and the long white beaches of the Jandía peninsula in the south. The interior is bare, sun-bleached and almost desert-like, dotted with windmills, goats and the old capital of Betancuria tucked in the hills. The steady Atlantic wind has made it a world capital for surfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing, but it's just as much a place for doing nothing on an enormous empty beach.

Island life keeps its traditions through the summer. San Juan on 23 June brings bonfires and beach concerts to Pozo Negro and the coastal towns, and June also features the rural Traditions Market of La Oliva and the FEAGA agriculture and livestock fair, the island's biggest country gathering. July centres on the San Buenaventura festivities in Betancuria, and the calendar builds towards the big one in September: the Romería de la Virgen de la Peña, the island's main pilgrimage, when villages walk to the Vega de Río Palmas behind the patron saint.

Fuerteventura (FUE) airport sits near the capital, Puerto del Rosario, and takes flights from right across the UK and Ireland. Resort transfers cover the main bases, but a hire car is what unlocks this island — the empty Cofete beach behind Jandía, the dunes, the inland villages and the surf breaks all need wheels to reach.

Whether you're in a Corralejo apartment, a Jandía hotel or a quiet place inland, this is your guide to what's actually on while you're here — the romerías, beach concerts and village fiestas worth planning around.