The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is one of the oldest festivals of the island with a rich history and characteristics specific to the Gran Canarian capital. Masquerades, disguises and carnal pleasures have been celebrated over five centuries.
It’s background dates back almost to the beginning of Gran Canarian history. The capital Las Palmas was founded on the 24th of June 1478 and quickly began to stand out thanks to its ability to unite cultures in a city with people from diverse backgrounds. Historical documents confirm this: the first direct reference to the Carnival dates back to the 16th century in 1574 and mentions the masked ball and fancy dress which took place in the home of canon Pedro León to celebrate the wedding of Matías Cairasco.
In the history of the Canary Islands by José de Viera y Clavijo on the arrival of Captain General Íñigo de Brizuela in the islands in February 1635, it says that : he prepared a big dinner that night and there were three banquets a day during the Carnival. What’s more, in the 16th century, different documents refer to the presence of Italians in the city and to Íñigo’s love for masked balls.
The festival took a major leap in the mid-nineteenth century when socio-cultural institutions emerged with the ability to hold parties with different themes including floats and themed carts accompanied by masks.
This was during the time of the Círculo Mercantil, the Literary Salon and the Las Palmas Club within the historic old city where the Pérez Galdós theatre saw many balls and carnivals.
The apparition of institutions such as the Club Náutico or the Club Victoria in the 20th century extended the carnival boundaries to the city docks and the zone of La Isleta. State repression prevented the implementation of the “Winter Festivities” which residents still upheld secretly in places that often housed social and sporting clubs.
Balls and feasts were commissioned and attended by residents who hid their fancy dress costumes under sheets until they arrived on location. 
In the last thirty years, the Carnival has come to have a major social and economic impact on the island of Gran Canaria and is now one of the largest tourist attractions. These festivities have adapted themselves to new leisure, entertainment and sightseeing demands of a media-orientated society while preserving its authenticity.
The Promotion of the City of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was formed in 2001. This entity is in charge of managing and organising parties related to the carnival. The Carnival of the Gran Canarian capital has now developed a history peppered with valuable contributions from popular characters including Juanito El Pionero or the unforgettable Charlot (bearing the mask of the great Charlie Chaplin).
Over time, the carnival has become a festival capable of reinventing itself along with changing trends by incorporating new acts and events into the mix. Therefore a whole popular phenomenon involving pure entertainment in a Carnival city lies beneath Sindo Saavedra’s hymn “Invitación al Carnaval”.