Playa del Inglés
Playa del Inglés (/ˈplɑːjə dɛl ɪŋˈɡlɛs/, Spanish: [ˈplaʝa ðel iŋˈgles], locally: [ˈplaʝa ðel ĩˈgleʰ], lit. "Englishman's Beach") is a sea resort in the south coast of the island of Gran Canaria. It is part of the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and is a popular tourist attraction. The resident population was 7,515 in 2013.[1]
There is some dispute upon the origin of the resort's name. One explanation is that an English bohemian moved to the untouched area early in the 20th Century. However, it has been stated that the Bohemian was actually French, but was mistaken as English by the locals.
Geography
Playa del Inglés forms a large sea resort zone, together with the adjacent resort towns San Agustín, Maspalomas and Sonnenland. The Maspalomas Dunes are situated south of the resort.
The area remained largely unspoiled until the 1960s when large scale tourist development changed the resort. Many of these constructions were large concrete tower blocks, however many have undergone renovation in recent years to make them more sympathetic to the surrounding area. There are a number of large shopping centres in the resort with the 'Yumbo' and 'Kasbah' being the largest.
Yumbo Centre
Playa del Ingles has been associated with the gay traveller for over 25 years. But now a clubbing town. Despite the fact that the Canaries are primarily Catholic, the locals have embraced the gay tourist. The main area for gay (and gay friendly) bars, clubs and accommodation is the Yumbo Centre and its surrounding area. There are at least 30 venues catering to gay mainstream and specific tastes including: leather, drag, cabaret, sport, cruising and men/women only.
There is also a gay beach, which is situated in the Maspalomas beach area around hut 7.
Each year in the 2nd week of May one of the largest gay pride festivals in Europe is held in the Yumbo Centre and throughout the resort. The 2011 event was attended by over 100,000 people.
In 2013 a fire occurred in the early hours of the morning during the Pride event, causing much damage to the Northern section of the centre, affecting Cruise, Amigo's, Chez Funnyboys and Rickys Showbar. The cause of the fire is unknown but was rumoured at the time to be an arson attack by an aggrieved staff member. Most bars re-opened later in the week thanks to the efforts of the workers.
References
- ↑ Instituto Canario de Estadística, population
External links
Media related to Playa del Inglés at Wikimedia Commons
Playa del Inglés travel guide from Wikivoyage