Casa del Miedo's Tardeo en Blanco sells out at Arrecife's Charco de San Gines

White took over the Charco de San Ginés again. Last Saturday the Casa del Miedo cultural, sports and leisure society held the second edition of its Tardeo en Blanco, and once more filled every available place. After the response to its first editions, the gathering is settling in as one of Arrecife's fixed summer dates.

The afternoon opened with a pirate boat crossing the calm waters of the Charco, flag flying, to signal the start of the celebration. Shortly afterwards came the most moving moment of the day: a folía sung by Carmen Herrera, accompanied on the timple by her grandson Abián Cabrera, with poems recited by Felo Del Rosario.

The communal lunch again reached its full capacity, and one dish stood out: the yellow rice cooked by Miguel Hernández, warmly received by the diners. The party then ran through the afternoon with several musical performances and dancing, bringing more than a hundred people together at the society's premises.

Launched last year, the initiative mixes the association's traditional side with newer leisure formats, aiming to grow while keeping the neighbourhood feel that defines it.

What a Lanzarote sociedad actually is

Visitors often walk the Charco de San Ginés without noticing the doorways of its neighbourhood societies. These are member-run associations, some of them decades old, built around culture, sport and social life, and they are where much of the island's living folk tradition is kept going: a folía sung a few metres from the audience, a timple, a rice dish cooked for a hundred people. Their events are usually announced locally and capacity is limited, so if you are curious about attending one, ask at the venue itself rather than expecting online tickets.