Las Palmas
Las Palmas, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands in Spain. With a population of 383,516 as of 2024, it is the ninth-largest city in Spain. It is also the fifth-most populous urban area in Spain.
Typical weather
1981–presentVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsWhat to do each season
2winter
warm, occasionally cloudy and rainy (Atlantic cloud-and-rain events, the Canary-Islands 'pánico de agua'); mean 16.5-19.3 °C across the range; daily highs 17-22 °C, sea 19-20 °C; the cooler Canary Current offsets the latitude (150 km west of Africa)
- the Carnival of Las Palmas (February-March) — the city's largest civic ritual and tourist draw (drag gala, murgas, comparsas, the burial of the sardine)
- the Canary Islands Music Festival (January-February) — the archipelago's largest classical-music event
- the north-European winter-sun tourism high-season peaks; Las Palmas is a year-round beach-walking city but winter is when its 'escape-from-winter' affordance is most used
- the Temudas Festival (October) — world-music and theatre, the city's autumn cultural anchor
summer
warm-hot and dry; mean 19.5-22.6 °C; daily highs 22-27 °C, sea reaches 23-24 °C; trade winds keep the heat moderate; precipitation 0.1-0.3 mm/day
- the Las Canteras urban beach (3 km) — the city's most-used civic space — at peak swimming-and-sunbathing use
- the Fiestas de San Juan (24 June) — the foundational city festival, bonfires on the beach
- the Canary-Current-cooled climate stays pleasant while mainland Spain bakes
- the cruise-and-ferry port at summer traffic; the Vegueta historic centre at full visitor flow
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Carnaval Las Palmas
- the city's largest festival — drag gala, murgas, comparsas, the burial of the sardine
Fiestas San Juan
- foundational city festival — bonfires on the beach
Canary Islands Music Festival
- classical music festival — the Canary Islands' largest cultural event
Temudas Festival
- world-music and theatre festival — the city's autumn cultural anchor
On the record
source-trackedLas Palmas, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands in Spain.
Las Palmas is located in the northeastern part of Gran Canaria, about 150 km (93 mi) west of the African coast in the Atlantic Ocean.
Las Palmas experiences a desert climate, offset by the local cooler Canary Current, with warm temperatures throughout the year. It has an average annual temperature of 21.2 °C (70.2 °F).
Las Palmas has a desert climate (Köppen: BWh; Trewartha: BWal) with tropical climate influences as the average temperature on the coldest month does not drop below 18 °C (64 °F).
The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is one of the main attractions for tourists.
The city center of Las Palmas, specifically the Vegueta and Triana neighbourhoods, are included in the tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
There is no actual city centre. The nucleus is the picturesque old town Vegueta.
The city was founded in 1478, and considered the de facto (without legal and real recognition) capital of the Canary Islands until the seventeenth century.
In January, the coldest month, the temperature typically ranges from 19 to 23 °C (66 to 73 °F) during the day, and around 15 to 16 °C (59 to 61 °F) at night, with an average sea temperature at 20 °C (68 °F).
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.