The aim is to celebrate the poverty of southern Gran Canaria, when a medieval regime of lords from Las Palmas exploited generations of residents of southern Gran Canaria to export tomatoes to Europe. The Plaza Pública in El Tablero will be transformed into the epicenter of southern Gran Canaria's ethnographic heritage on June 12th and 13th. The San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town Council, through its Department of Culture, has completed the technical and logistical preparations for the 27th Annual Tomato Harvest Festival. This annual event, established as a key gathering for preserving the islands' rural identity, will feature a comprehensive cultural program designed to preserve and promote the traditions linked to the historic tomato harvest and the municipality's agricultural past.
The event will combine demonstrations of significant heritage with participatory activities for all ages. The fairgrounds will host exhibitions and demonstrations of traditional Canarian games, along with displays of the shepherd's leap, one of the most unique ethnographic manifestations of shepherding in the archipelago. The program will be complemented by painting workshops, traditional dance performances, and the traditional "taifas," which commemorate the popular celebrations of the former sharecroppers and farmworkers of southern Spain at the end of the arduous harvest days.
The organization of the fair requires a complex temporary infrastructure in the heart of El Tablero. The municipal Culture Department coordinates the setup of a logistical complex that includes the installation of tents, tables, seating, and stages specifically designed for the musical groups. The comprehensive production encompasses everything from contracting the artistic acts and managing their travel arrangements to providing the necessary sound and lighting technical support for the live performances.
The municipal technical services have ensured the legal and operational viability of the event through a functional unit design that integrates artistic needs with contingency plans. The activities, which will take place entirely in open spaces with a high expected attendance, will have a specific Security and Self-Protection Plan approved by the authorities of the Canary Islands Autonomous Community under Decree 67/2015. This technical document defines evacuation routes, transit areas, and direct coordination with the 112 emergency call centers and local preventative services in the event of any risk.
The security operation for the Zafra Fair includes a reinforced security detail to ensure the smooth running of the event. Private security services will complement law enforcement with a specific security deployment operating on the nights of Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, from 20:00 p.m. to 08:00 a.m., ensuring the safety of the facilities and logistical equipment deployed in public spaces during the fair's closing hours.
The Departments of Culture and the Presidency have introduced safeguard clauses to address unforeseen weather conditions or force majeure events in southern Gran Canaria, allowing for mutual changes of dates or location to avoid organizational disruptions. The guidelines for the San Bartolomé de Tirajana cultural program also include the option of extending this organizational model to the 28th edition in 2027, guaranteeing the continuity of a festival that balances the leisure offerings of the municipality's residential areas with respect for the socio-economic roots that shaped the Maspalomas coastline.
