No. 32 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

18
GET TO KNOW GRAN CANARIA I CONOCE GRAN CANARIA EDICIÓN 32
Gáldar in 2023
Tradition, Tourism and Success
As the curtain comes down on 2023, the year has
proved to be an extremely happy one for Gáldar
in many aspects: The Casas Consistoriales council
building and the Tourist Information Office
were reopened and upgraded. Exceptional tourism
figures were achieved in terms of visits to the
municipality, and its accommodation, with the
emblematic Hotel Agáldar leading the way, experienced
outstanding occupancy throughout
the year. Both the number of tourist accommodations
and businesses in the municipality increased
considerably, and the number of visitors
to the town and its museums were also up year on
year. In addition, Gáldar received recognition for
its gastronomic products and its local residents,
and the municipality showed itself to the world,
showing off its wonders so that all its townsfolk
could feel proud to be residents of Gáldar.
During 2023, Gáldar once again put together
a wide variety of events and celebrations that
filled its streets and squares, sports and cultural
spaces, beaches and hiking trails. Popular destinations
include the Painted Cave Museum and
Archaeological Park, the Antonio Padrón House
Museum - Indigenist Art Centre, the Museum of
Sacred Art, the Church of Santiago de los Caballeros,
the centuries-old dragon tree and many other
spaces and corners of the municipality. Other
popular sites include the BIC of Barranco Hondo
de Abajo, an important site of the region’s heritage
that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage
Site within the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído
and the Sagradas Montañas de Gran Canaria, and
the Agáldar Museum showcasing the history of
the town, located in the BIC Casa Capitán Quesada,
all of which represent the best of the legacy
left by the town’s ancestors and which it is essential
to preserve in order to show them off to all
visitors and residents.
Gáldar also celebrated a number of long-established
events this year, such as the Carnivals and
the centenary fiestas of San Sebastián, San Isidro,
the Fiestas Mayores de Santiago and the Rama
de Juncalillo, the Cheese Fair, the Onion Festival
and the Gáldar Special Wines competition during
the Wine Night as a tribute to some of its most
select products. The Wool Festival on Canary
Day, and looking ahead to December, the Flower
Week celebrations, which has made Gáldar a
top destination at Christmas, are also key events.
In addition, the Way of St. James of Gran Canaria
was consolidated, which enables the ties with
other Ways of St. James around the world to be
maintained.
There are other well-established cultural events
that should not be forgotten, such as Theatre
Week, La Guancha Festival, Gáldar Pride, the Gáldar
International Film Festival and the Agáldar
Festival, together with other events held around
the mid-altitude hill villages and hamlets, whose
purpose it is to bring culture to people of all ages.
Sporting events also feature high on the agenda,
including the Fotosub Sardina, on the beach
of the same name which has once again been
awarded the Blue Flag, and the Frontón King surfing
competition, held on the famous El Frontón
wave, known as "the Beast". Other events include
the Spanish Bodyboard Championship which
was held in La Guancha this year, the Sardina
Swimming Crossing, and the end of year Swimsilvestre,
which is also held in the waters of the bay
of Sardina on New Year’s Eve.
Gáldar is naturally still committed to promoting
its gastronomic products from the coast to the
mid-altitude hills, all of which are of exceptional
quality and rated as excellent by those who have
the pleasure of sampling them. Gáldar can be
considered an essential resource for anyone looking
to savour the essence of the island as a whole.
Thanks to its people, its history, its landscapes
and the traditions it treasures, Gáldar is an outstanding
place to visit, a key part of all the wonders
that make Gran Canaria such an different
and original place. Aboriginal villages and historical
sites, cave-houses and centuries-old buildings,
natural pools, beaches and bays that were
once harbours, majestic volcanoes surrounded
by banana plantations, gentle hills covered with
a blanket of green and solitary herds wandering
through ancient trails set in misty pine forests,
make Gáldar well worth a visit.
We hope to continue to share this wonderful
place with every one of you as we go into 2024.
Welcome one and all to Gáldar.