The first ever winner of the Drag gala at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival dusts off his platforms and his memories

Evening starts to fall on the bay of Las Canteras, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Hundreds of people soak up the last few rays of sun down on the beach, as do some crabs in their prívate hide-outs, in a corner of La Puntilla, where the ocean laps over the age-old strips of volcanic lava giving them a polished finish like a skin covering a thousand year old black, dormant dragon. Nearby some fishing boats bob up and down, in view of diners from all over the world who are finding out what a papa arrugada salted potato and a chunk of sea bass taste like.

American Timothy Allen Olson is living proof of the magnetic pull of the Transgrancanaria, with participants from 70 countries.

Timothy Allen Olson was born in Wisconsin, in the United States. It was the mountains in Ashland, in Oregan, however, where he developed his passion for Ultra Trail racing. Timothy insists he feels the energy from the trees, mountains, and wild life in general, and now also at the volcanic and oceanic heart of Gran Canaria. On the night of the 24th of February, this health, nature and family loving sportsman will be on the starting line in Agaete taking part in the 125 kilometre version of the Transgrancanaria –the mother of all mountain races- alongside other world famous running stars.

The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Opera Festival reaches its fiftieth edition with a world class programme.

The ending is a familiar one: the applause fills the air like a swarm of flapping doves, with cheers and admiration of an awe-struck crowd. The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Opera Festival is into its fiftieth year, during which time it has been a “cornerstone” in its role in making the city one of Europe’s leading musical capitals, as Ulises Jaén, the event’s current musical director, proudly puts it. Jaén himself has had a season ticket for this event since he was just sixteen years of age.