In December 2025, the famous sand Nativity scene will return to Las Canteras Beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This year, the event takes on special significance: the project marks its twentieth anniversary, and for the first time, its images will decorate tickets for the national Christmas lottery. Millions of Spaniards will see these familiar sculptures on their cherished lottery tickets, while the Nativity scene itself is set to become the main symbol of the winter holidays in the Canary Islands.
The exhibition will open on December 5 and run through January 8, 2026. During this time, the beach will transform into an open-air gallery: international artists will create large-scale sculptures using two thousand cubic meters of sand. Every year, the Nativity scene attracts crowds of spectators, but this time organizers are preparing not only new sculptures, but also a series of special anniversary events.
An anniversary the whole country will see
For the first time in the project’s history, the sand Nativity scene will be the face of the national lottery. Its image will appear on six million tickets distributed across Spain for the December 25 draw. This not only highlights the event’s significance for the Canary Islands, but also turns Las Canteras into one of the country’s main Christmas symbols. The tourism impact is already being felt: a surge of visitors is expected from all over Spain and even abroad.
To mark the anniversary, organizers will unveil a new logo and open a retrospective exhibition that traces the project’s evolution over the past two decades. The exhibition opens on November 11 at the Cicca cultural center and promises to surprise even those who have visited the nativity scene many times. Visitors will see sketches, photographs, and behind-the-scenes details, as well as learn about the people who stood at the origins of this unique phenomenon.
A tribute to the culture and art of Gran Canaria
This year, the sand nativity scene is dedicated to Gran Canaria and the work of Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre—a painter whose name is closely linked to the island. Organizers emphasize that the project has long since transcended the boundaries of a typical Christmas installation, becoming a true cultural phenomenon. Sculptors will begin working with sand on November 10, while the main modeling stage will kick off on November 19.
The installation covers an area of about two thousand square meters, with some figures reaching six meters high. Over the course of twenty years, more than three million people have visited the nativity scene, and last year alone the number of guests exceeded 260,000. All donations—which now total more than 270,000 euros—go to charity.
International recognition and new horizons
The sand nativity scene at Las Canteras has long become a symbol not only of the city, but of the entire archipelago. The project has received numerous awards, including designation as a World Cultural Heritage Site and the Roque Nublo de Plata prize. This year, delegates from international organizations are expected to visit, along with new features in the foreign press. The nativity scene regularly ranks among the most unusual Christmas events in Europe and around the world.
Throughout the month, the beach will host concerts, children’s choir performances, and other festive events. Organizers are confident that the anniversary exhibition will further establish Las Palmas as a hub of sand art and bring the island new records for both visitor numbers and funds raised. This year, the sand nativity promises not just to decorate the holiday, but to become a true cultural event of national significance.
