A unique nativity event in Spain that's on the beach and aims to raise hundreds of thousands of euros to feed the needy

It is unique in Spain, the largest in Europe, it could be the Christmas holiday postcard from Gran Canaria and it also shares its location with the ever-present sun and thousands of beachgoers. It may seem quite the paradox but this is the Belén de Arena de Las Canteras in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, an ephemeral, open-air art exhibition that can be enjoyed in 25C temperatures on Las Canteras beach, but only for a limited time.

This 'nativity' scene that is so much more than a nativity scene has sand sculptures weighing around ninety tonnes, modelled by sculptors from different countries who come together to make an unprecedented impact for charity. In just a few days these 2,000 cubic metres of sand are transformed into art, taking visitors on a journey through sand, water, art, biblical scenes and tributes, always with a nod to the Canaries.

This year, the exhibition celebrates its nineteenth record-breaking anniversary with ten sculptures up to three metres high and twelve metres long, all done in the record time of eight days. With 'arenistas' (sand artists) from the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada, these artists are overshadowed in terms of number of visitors only by the Museo del Prado and the Reina Sofía, raising hundreds of thousands of euros that go entirely to help the city's soup kitchens.

In the first weekend alone 16,400 people have already visited the nativity scene, which means that this charitable project of solidarity is on course for another record-breaker: they aim to exceed 170,000 visitors in its month-long exhibition. After 7 January the images will disappear under the rubber treads of the bulldozers, which will return the space to its natural beach state, awaiting a new round of sculptures in December 2025.

The Belén de Arena was born in 2006, and since then it has become one of the most popular events of Christmas in Europe, with ten colossal scenes that in this year´s run pay tribute to the local districts of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as well as to the volunteers who helped those places affected by the 'Dana' weather events. These people have a leading role in this open-air museum for 2024.

The Belén director, Aday Rodríguez, has taken on the challenge of "turning the city into a key feature of Christmas in Spain", a meeting point that "places the capital of Gran Canaria among the places that people most want to visit in winter" thanks to "the work and affection of people, mostly anonymous, whose role is indispensable."

Father and son, Aday Rodríguez and the founder, Miguel Rodríguez, wanted to build something never seen before in Spain and, with this challenge in mind, the project was born, a sculptural work where sand is transformed into houses and palaces, oxen and mules, saints and virgins, shepherds and sheep, kings and camels... and which visitors can enjoy in their swimming gear. It is its originality and its short duration that enchants 'arenistas' to turn up from all over the world. Even back when it all started in 2006, these artists were infected by the love for culture of this family of Canarian pioneers of art.

The constant pushing, hard work and learning that go into improving the quality of the work to still take the visitors by surprise have made this Christmas scene at the end of the beach an image as anecdotal as it is traditional, which "continues to believe in culture in open spaces", said Miguel Rodríguez.

While Europe is freezing cold, the Belén de Arena is the image of the festive season in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, home of "one of the seven most spectacular Christmas sights in the world", according to British newspaper The Times.

The Belén de Arena is full of curiosities and anecdotes, as it is an atypical canvas with its own needs. This is a work of art in which neither chisels nor paintbrushes are used, but rather shovels, mason's spatulas, and even forks and dessert spoons.

The scenes created for this exhibition are much more than water, sand and talent, for they mix Canarian customs with tradition, biblical scenes and tributes. For this year there are scenes that represent the importance of water, thanks to the 'Dana' volunteers, but there are also still the images essential to any nativity scene such as the Three Wise Men or the Annunciation, in the hands of the artist from the Netherlands Michel deKok.

Creativity, surrealism, abstractions, or pure realism, each with their own style and a common framework make up this work of art, in which the Nativity is the work of the American Sue McGrew, who has crossed the world to share her talent.

Kevin Crawford and Ashley Henning, from Australia and New Zealand respectively, looked for local inspiration for their scene, immersing themselves in the bowels of the city to recreate in their work the buildings of the city's iconic districts such as San Nicolás, San Juan and San Roque, highlighting their history and the value of their community.