When Los Cristianos celebrates there are parties within parties and fiestas within fiestas. The annual celebrations for the Virgen del Carmen are a great example, just turn a corner and your caught up in a whirl of music and colour.

The fishermen were busy at the port decorating their boats ready for their big parade at sea but just inland of the old beach Saturday lunchtime saw the start of the Fiesta del Sombrero, a mad hatters tea party that took over the small plaza by the square fountain. Trestle tables groaned under the weight of snack and nibbles and of course the wine and beer was flowing. This year a stage ensured live music got people up and bopping, a good way to test the sturdiness of their headgear.

The order of the day wasn’t the over the top, year in the planning, crowning glories of Carnaval, it was more about sprucing up a tired topper with some fun and imagination. Flowers and small animals cropped up and some people incorporated the fishing theme that drives the Virgen del Carmen celebrations. Even Los Cristianos couldn’t escape the influence of those yellow cartoon superstars the minions, their film success had gone to several revelers heads.

There was no prize for the best hat but for me the Dame Edna of the afternoon was the large shallow basket draped in Tenerife produce and greenery. It looked good from front and back and was brimming with pride, take a bow that young lady. This was only the second time the hat fiesta had appeared on the fiesta programme, it seems to be evolving nicely, I’m looking forward to some more jauntily angled offerings next year.