Yaiza's Los Remedios fiestas open on 28 August with the Rancho de Pascuas

Christmas songs are arriving early in the south of Lanzarote. The Rancho de Pascuas de Yaiza will deliver the pregón, the speech that formally opens the fiestas in honour of Nuestra Señora la Virgen de Los Remedios, on Friday 28 August at 20:00 in the central Plaza de Los Remedios. The group was invited directly by Yaiza's town council and marks 55 years of musical activity, with 25 members in its current line-up.

The event takes place outdoors and live. Anyone unable to attend in person can follow it online through the municipal YouTube channel and the council's official website (www.yaiza.es).

The Rancho was founded in 1971 by the parish priest of the time, Antonio Parrilla, together with a group of local young people. In 2006 it received the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands Government for its cultural work: the ranchos de pascua are among the oldest and most deeply rooted musical traditions in the archipelago. Mayor Óscar Noda notes that the group «has always taken care to safeguard our traditional songs», while festivities councillor Daniel Medina calls it «a clear example of intergenerational unity».

Immediately after the pregón on Friday 28, the Festival Rubicón brings a night of verse devoted to Canarian culture with guest soloists. On Saturday 29 comes the traditional romeria, setting off at 18:00 from the football ground car park and arriving in the area around the church. Folk music and the autos locos soapbox race also feature in the fiesta calendar.

Practical notes for visitors

Yaiza is a small village of white houses and the church square is where everything happens. On fiesta nights the central parking spaces fill up quickly, so it pays to arrive early and leave the car on the outer streets. The football ground car park, the starting point for Saturday's romeria, is easy to find whether you come from Playa Blanca or Arrecife. Late August evenings are still warm and the procession is walked, so water and closed shoes matter more than smart clothes. The live stream is the fallback for anyone who would rather not drive after dark.