• The 19th edition of the event brings together a wide range of crafts and products made by artisans from several municipalities across the island
• The fair, which can be visited until Sunday, 16 August, has become one of the leisure options for afternoons and evenings in the south of Gran Canaria

The 19th edition of the Gran Canaria Summer South Craft Fair is entering its final days next to the Maspalomas Lighthouse, where residents and tourists still have the opportunity to browse the stalls and purchase handcrafted products. The fair will remain open to the public until Sunday, 16 August.

Over these days, the fair has become part of the lively atmosphere around the lighthouse, one of Gran Canaria’s main tourist landmarks. From 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm, visitors can browse the stalls and discover unique and original pieces made by the island’s craftspeople.

Visitors include not only residents from other municipalities and people spending their holidays in the area, but also tourists who stroll through the marquees set up opposite the lighthouse and stop at the stalls to discover first-hand the work of Gran Canaria’s artisans.

At the Gran Canaria Summer South Craft Fair, visitors can discover and purchase a wide variety of items: from musical instruments made by carpenter José Díaz, representing one of the two traditional crafts featured at this year’s fair, to more contemporary creations such as sculptures made from recycled forks or teapots by Héctor Fuenzalida, who creates his pieces under the brand Yo Fui Tenedor.

Both are veterans of this type of event. For years, Díaz has demonstrated how he works with wood to create farming implements, cheese moulds of all sizes, yokes and ox goads, as well as Canarian knives and musical instruments that imitate birdsong — the pieces that attract the most attention from visitors. “That’s what’s proving most popular,” he says proudly as he shows curious onlookers how his small flutes sound. Díaz greatly values taking part in craft fairs because, he says, there is no other artisan left on the island who does what he does — entirely by hand, without using a lathe — and he regrets the lack of a new generation to continue his craft.

The artisans agree that, at this event held in the south of the island, smaller items tend to sell particularly well because they are easier to carry in luggage, especially given that a large proportion of visitors to the fair are tourists.

Some craftspeople have even evolved and adapted their products to meet this demand. One example is Mascotas Yoago, which has shifted part of its production, originally focused on toys, towards creating wooden games and structures for cats. Alongside these larger pieces, mostly designed for the home, Yoago also offers smaller items, such as cat-shaped wooden lamps, aimed especially at visitors looking for a handcrafted object that can easily fit into their luggage.

Jewellery, candles, ceramics, bags, shirts, crocheted dolls, toys, soaps, baskets… a multitude of original, unique and creative handcrafted pieces can also be found at the fair. “People connect directly with this kind of creativity,” says the founder of Yo Fui Tenedor, who explains that visitors to his stall “are often surprised when they discover what can be achieved with everyday objects that have already been used”. His regular customers include visitors from Germany, France, the Nordic countries and the United Kingdom, although he also creates pieces specifically for local customers, inspired by traditional Canarian sports and parrandas.

Also taking part this year is Saasil González, whose brand Wikicostura specialises in crochet. This is her first time participating as an artisan in the Summer South edition, although she has previously taken part in the San Telmo fair. González highlights the benefits of attending both events: “They are very different and attract very different audiences. Here in the south, buyers are mainly tourists, many of them Polish and German, and they tend to look for accessories or souvenirs and show an interest in a different way; whereas at San Telmo, local residents are more likely to buy gifts for Three Kings’ Day.”

In any case, fairs like this provide an opportunity to showcase the diversity of work that currently exists within the craft sector, ranging from products linked to traditional crafts to creations incorporating new designs and uses. Direct contact with the artisans also gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the process and, in turn, appreciate the work behind each piece.

Meanwhile, the music accompanying the afternoons creates a relaxed atmosphere around the fair, turning a stroll among the stalls into an opportunity to stop, take a closer look and appreciate products that are far removed from mass production and that visitors will not find anywhere else.

Those who have not yet visited this 19th edition can do so until Sunday, 16 August, making the most of these final days to discover the variety of Gran Canaria’s crafts and purchase a unique piece made on the island.

The Gran Canaria Summer South Craft Fair is promoted and funded by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through the Fund for Ethnography and the Development of Canarian Crafts (FEDAC), and organised by Infecar, Feria de Gran Canaria. The event is also supported by San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town Council.