The celebration, spanning three weekends, primarily aims to enhance and showcase the renowned flor de Guía, media flor de Guía, and Guía cheeses. Activities will commence in the historic town center and conclude in the Montaña Alta neighborhood.
“"Last year we already had some problems in the Montaña Alta area due to the queues and the large number of people who attended."
The mayor of Guía, Alfredo Gonçalves, has invited the public to participate in the festivities, suggesting the use of public transport to avoid crowds. In this regard, the possibility of the Global company providing shuttle buses from the town center to Montaña Alta is being considered. Furthermore, Gonçalves announced a municipal plan to promote the cheeses' Designation of Origin beyond the Canary Islands. As a novelty, the Entre Cortijos race will be renamed Entre Cortijos, Queso de Flor de Guía, Protected Designation of Origin for its next edition.
The festival program includes the second Ethnographic Route 'Cheeses and Shepherds of Guía' on Saturday, April 18, followed by the second Zanga+Queso tournament. On Saturday, April 25, Guía market will host tasting workshops organized by the Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA) under the title The Magical World of Flor Cheese, and in the evening, Plaza Grande will be the setting for the 'Cheese Dance'.
Sunday, April 26, will be a busy day with the Traditional Gastronomy and Craft Fair in Plaza Grande, Plaza Luján Pérez, and Marqués del Muni and Frontis Iglesia streets. On the same day, the Casa de la Cultura de Guía will host the XXVII Island Cheese Tasting 'Queso Flor de Guía', and the Néstor Álamo Museum will offer the workshop 'Flavors Gran Canaria', organized by the Council of Primary Sector and Food Sovereignty of the Cabildo. The day will conclude with the Bohemia Lanzarote concert.
The third Ethnographic Route of 'Cheeses and Shepherds of Guía' will take place on Saturday, May 2. Places for both ethnographic routes are limited and require prior registration on the Santa María de Guía tourism website. On Sunday, May 3, Montaña Alta de Guía will host the gastronomy and craft fair, featuring performances by folk groups such as Noroeste Guiense, Lairaga del Norte, and Yeray Rodríguez. Tributes will be paid to festival collaborators, including Lela Quintana, Kiko Reyes, Ana Santiago, and José de la Cruz Mendoza, and the career of Pepe el de Pavón, linked to cheese, will be recognized. The awards ceremony for the XXVII Island Cheese Tasting 'Queso Flor de Guía' will close the event.
“"Guía cheese is not just a product, but a landscape and tradition. Behind every cheese there is a way of life that we must protect."
