The biggest night in thirteen years: how the Chambao evening went at Arrecife en Vivo

There are festivals a city puts up with and festivals a city takes as its own. Arrecife en Vivo, thirteen years after its first edition, is firmly in the second category: last Friday the capital had its most crowded night yet, with thousands of people walking from one stage to the next right across the centre.

The parade that broke the ice

It began with the Psycho Clown street parade, which turned the centre into a village fiesta: the musicians danced with shopkeepers and customers along calle Real, and the audience became part of the show rather than watching it. That is the difference between a concert and a city in motion.

From La Plazuela to the Charco

The music opened at La Plazuela with The Anger Price from Navarre — young, hard rock and rap. Families, tourists and teenagers filled the first stage of the route.

Then the tide moved on to the Charco de San Ginés, where Britain's MFC Chicken were waiting with their rock and roll and R&B. They won over a crowd of all ages, and when the noisy parade reached them they ended up filming it themselves from the stage.

Piedrafita, Chambao and the port

On foot, the crowd reached Marina Lanzarote: guitarist Alfredo Piedrafita ran through the great Barricada songs and finished with Blanco y Negro, sung by everyone.

The main stage, on the cruise quay, belonged to Chambao, marking twenty-five years together. La Mari came down off the stage to sing among the crowd, and Lanzarote guitarist Tony Cantero joined the Andalusian band. Canarian producer Laiv closed the night with independent electronica.

It is not over

Arrecife en Vivo runs until 10 October: there are dates and concerts still to come, all free and all in the street. If you missed this one, you still have chances.