The Las Palmas carnival runs from January 29 until February 21 with much of the action on the last weekend. 

There's no shortage of local events in Gran Canaria with a village romeria (fiesta) or six every weekend but what about international events? Well, here's our pick of the top Gran Canaria events that tourists and visitors have to attend.

The 2016 Maspalomas International Carnival now has its official theme: Hollywood.

Carnival rules supreme in Gran Canaria in February and there's more to the party than the famous events in Las Palmas and Maspalomas.

With everything from drag queen galas and wailing widows to tapas stands the Las Palmas carnival is an epic fiesta. It's got be Europe's biggest outdoor party and stretches out over three weeks, four if you count the times it takes to clear up the sequins.