Anyone visiting the west of Gran Canaria today could witness one of the strangest sights in the Canary Islands. Thousands of people will gather around a large seawater lagoon in the town of La Aldea de San Nicolás, but despite the crowds, nobody is supposed to enter the water.
Instead, everyone waits. Then, at exactly 5:00pm, a firework is launched into the sky. That's the signal everyone has been waiting for. Thousands of people then rush into the lagoon at the same time and begin trying to catch fish, traditionally using their bare hands or small baskets.
It may sound like organised chaos, but this isn't a new tourist attraction. It's a centuries-old Gran Canaria tradition.
The event is known as the Fiesta del Charco, or Festival of the Lagoon, and takes place every September as part of the annual celebrations in La Aldea de San Nicolás.
It has become one of the most unusual and spectacular traditional events anywhere in the Canary Islands.
Why does everyone jump into the lagoon?
The tradition dates back to an old fishing technique used by the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands.
Local people would gather around the lagoon and work together to catch the fish living in its waters.
That ancient practice eventually developed into the celebration that takes place today.
The fishing itself is known locally as the Pesca de la Lisa, which simply means fishing for mullet.
Participants traditionally try to catch the fish with their hands, although certain traditional baskets and fishing equipment can also be used.
However, there's one very important rule… nobody is supposed to enter the water until the firework goes off at 5:00pm.
The mayor of La Aldea gives the official signal by launching the firework, known locally as a volador.
Within seconds, the previously calm lagoon is transformed as thousands of people pile into the water together.
A very different side of Gran Canaria
For holidaymakers who normally stay in resorts such as Puerto Rico, Puerto de Mogán, Maspalomas or Playa del Inglés, La Aldea offers a very different view of Gran Canaria.
The town is on the western side of the island, surrounded by dramatic mountains and rugged scenery, and is well away from the major tourist resorts in the south.
Its relative isolation has helped the area maintain many of its traditional customs.
The Fiesta del Charco is one of the biggest.
It forms part of the town's annual September festivities and attracts huge crowds, including visitors from other Canary Islands who travel to Gran Canaria specifically to take part.
For tourists, it's also a reminder that there is considerably more to the Canary Islands than beaches, hotels and swimming pools.
Traditional fiestas take place throughout the islands all year round, many of them based around customs that have been passed down through generations.
But even by Canarian fiesta standards, this one is unusual.
Thousands of people standing beside a lagoon waiting for a firework before jumping into the water together and trying to catch fish with their hands isn't something you're likely to see on your average package holiday.
And at exactly 5:00pm today, Gran Canaria will do it all over again.
