Guide · Guide to Icod de los Vinos
Riding a plank down a cobbled street
On 29 and 30 November Icod hurtles downhill on greased wooden boards. What the tradition is, why it matches the new wine, and where to stand to watch it.
- 2 minread
- 23 September 2026checked
- 2sources
This is not a re-enactment for tourists, nor something recent. On the night of 29 November the cobbled slopes of Icod's old town fill with young people hurtling downhill on greased wooden planks, at a speed that is frightening the first time you see it. It is the municipality's best-known festival and one of the strangest in the Canaries.
When it is
The date does not move: San Andrés is 30 November, and in Icod it spreads over three days. On the night of the 28th the new wine is uncorked on Plaza de Lorenzo Cáceres, with wineries from the comarca. The board run is on the 29th and 30th. The big one, the night in the photographs, is the 29th.
What the board run actually is
Wooden planks, sometimes joined in pairs, greased underneath. The rider sits or lies on top and lets go down a steep cobbled street, braking with feet or hands. The streets are prepared, sections are cordoned off and people go down in turns. It is worth understanding that this is not a show staged for an audience: it is local people going down, and the public watches from the sides.
Where to stand
The run happens on the sloping streets of the old town, the area around Plaza de la Pila and the church of San Marcos. If it is your first time, the sensible thing is to arrive early, find a spot high up overlooking a straight section, and stay off the roadway. Each year the council publishes a programme with the exact sections and times: worth checking, because they change.
Something you will see repeated that is not confirmed
In 2017 there was a move to have the boards declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, and since then it gets repeated that they are. We have found no resolution completing that process, so we do not claim it here. Whether the festival is worth seeing does not depend on an administrative label.
Staying that night
Late November is a quiet season in the north except for that week. If you are coming for San Andrés, book with time to spare: it is the busiest night of the year in Icod, and the old town closes to traffic.
Finca Julia is a few minutes from all of this.
Check availability on Airbnb — Opens the official Airbnb listing in a new tabSources
- Ayuntamiento de Icod — San Andrés, tres días de arrastre ↗
- Turismo de Tenerife — Fiestas de San Andrés ↗
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This guide is written from a house in Icod.
Finca Julia is a Canarian house for four in the hills above the town. Availability and price are on the official listing.
Plans
Plans that pass through here
Experiences and itineraries that share places with this page.
- PlanA morning among dragon trees and stoneBreakfast in the old town, the dragon tree before the crowds, Icod on foot and Garachico for lunch. Four hours, six kilometres of driving.
- DayThree days based in IcodIcod, Garachico and Teide in three days, with real drive times from the old town and without driving the same road twice.
- DayA whole day without leaving the municipalityThe dragon tree, the old town, Europe's largest lava tube and a black-sand beach, in one day and under six kilometres of driving.
- PlanAn afternoon under coverWhen the north does what the north does: Europe's largest lava tube, a church a hundred metres from the dragon tree and a winery. All booked or under cover.
Keep reading
The whole guide
© H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 2 min read
What to see in Icod de los Vinos in one day
© Pamela Heywood · CC BY 2.0 2 min read
Wineries near Icod de los Vinos and its wine
© Mike Peel . · CC BY-SA 4.0 2 min read
A month of festivities, and one that happens only every five years
Finca Julia · Icod de los Vinos
And at the end of the day,
the terrace.
An old Canarian house on the hillside, with the Atlantic in front. Availability and price are on the official Airbnb listing.