Santa Úrsula Patron Saint Festivities

This is the village at its most itself: ten days of celebrations honouring Santa Úrsula and Nuestra Señora del Rosario, spilling out across the town centre and main plaza on Tenerife's northern slopes. The gastronomic fair is the bit to plan around — Canarian cooking done properly, wrinkly papas with mojo and whatever the local stalls are firing up that night. Folklore groups bring the timple and the dancing, and there's lucha canaria, the island's old grappling sport, fought barefoot in a ring of sand.

Look out too for the Chapolín Canario final, a quirky local contest worth catching, and the festival queen pageant. Things build towards the patron's day on 21 October. It's free, unhurried and aimed squarely at locals, so go ready to potter, eat and watch rather than tick off a checklist.