Adeje is one of those places where you can walk down the street and hear several different languages within a few minutes — and that multicultural character was celebrated this week at the first ever Nationalities Gathering at the Adeje Auditorium.
The event took place on Monday 21 September to coincide with the International Day of Peace, bringing together representatives from around 40 of the 123 different nationalities currently living in the municipality.
123 Nationalities Living Together
The gathering also marked the 20th anniversary of the “Adeje Vive, Adeje Convive” campaign, which was launched by Adeje Town Hall in 2006.
Mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga said the aim over the years has been to create a municipality where there is room for everyone and where cultural diversity is regarded as something positive rather than something that divides people.
The campaign promotes values including inclusion, respect, tolerance, solidarity and peaceful coexistence while allowing people to retain their own culture, traditions and beliefs.
The mayor also spoke about the increasing amount of divisive language and hate speech appearing in society and said Adeje would continue promoting unity and inclusion.
More Than Just a One-Off Event
The event was organised by Adeje Town Hall’s Department of Citizen Participation, alongside the Tenerife Cabildo’s Department of Social Action, Inclusion and Volunteering and other organisations.
Councillor for Citizen Participation and Culture Adolfo Alonso Ferrera said organisers had originally hoped to involve representatives from around one third of Adeje’s nationalities.
That target was exceeded.
More importantly, the Nationalities Gathering is not intended to be a one-off celebration.
A new multicultural working group is expected to meet regularly, allowing people from the different communities within Adeje to continue taking part and sharing ideas.
Music, Dance and Personal Stories
The evening included music, dance, aerial performances, live painting and personal stories from residents who had moved to Tenerife from other parts of the world.
Performers included Pablo Bello, Natalia Jancokova, Daniela Santanna, Ainhoa Aguilar, Esther Mendoza and Alba Chávez.
There was also Uruguayan candombe outside the auditorium from Urguagaya Auténticas del Sur, while Tomás Mesa provided dance and aerial silks performances.
Residents also talked about arriving in Adeje, creating a new life here and becoming part of the local community.
The event was hosted by Ian Montgomery, included sign-language interpretation and was broadcast live through Adeje Town Hall’s social media channels and YouTube.
Adeje Vive, Adeje Convive
When the “Adeje Vive, Adeje Convive” initiative began in 2006, Adeje was already home to people from 111 different nationalities.
Twenty years later, that figure has grown to 123.
Over the years the campaign has covered everything from neighbourly behaviour and noise to looking after public spaces, keeping streets clean and encouraging hospitality towards visitors.
At its heart, however, the message has remained remarkably simple:
People from many different countries, backgrounds and cultures can share the same municipality while respecting one another and feeling that Adeje is their home.
And with residents from 123 nationalities now living here, that is perhaps more relevant than ever.
Source
This article is based on information supplied in an official press release issued by Ayuntamiento de Adeje (Adeje Town Hall) on 22 September 2026.
Official website: https://www.adeje.es
Disclaimer
This article is an independent summary of information published by Adeje Town Hall and is intended for general information purposes.
It is not an official publication of Ayuntamiento de Adeje, Tenerife Cabildo or any other public authority.
Every effort has been made to represent the information in the original source accurately. Details may subsequently be updated, corrected or changed by the organisations concerned.