The History of “Live it up, Las Palmas!” – An International Community in Gran Canaria (Updated 2026)

A lot has happened since I arrived in Gran Canaria in the summer of 2018 and started building what would eventually become the Live it up, Las Palmas! community. What began as a simple way to meet people slowly grew into something far bigger than I ever expected.

Here is the story of how it all unfolded.

• 2018 – 2019: How the community started

• 2018 – July
  After spending several years as a digital nomad traveling through Southeast Asia and living in Cambodia for two years, I started looking for a place to settle a little closer to Europe. I decided to try Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for what was meant to be a two-month stay.

  Within two weeks I had completely fallen in love with the city.

  

  

  

• 2018 – August
  Shortly after arriving I joined my first Coffees & Co-Working meetup. It quickly became my favourite weekly activity and one of the easiest ways to meet people in the international community.

  The meetup brought together remote workers for casual coworking and lunch in cafés and bakeries across the city.

  

  

  

• 2018 – November
  When the organisers of Coffees & Co-Working announced they were leaving the island, they asked if I would be willing to take over the meetups.

  Although I initially hesitated, I did not want the gatherings to disappear. I decided to continue organising them and soon realised how much I enjoyed bringing people together.

  

  

  

• 2019 – October
  After hosting the coworking meetups for nearly a year, I felt there was still something missing: a purely social gathering where people could meet outside of work.

  In October I organised the first social meetup at Toma Pan Y Moja, marking the start of the weekly social events.

  

  

  

  

  

• 2020: Lockdown and the creation of the Slack community

• 2020 – March
  Just as the community was growing, the COVID pandemic arrived and Spain entered a strict national lockdown.

  Social gatherings were no longer possible and the community suddenly had to move online.

  

• 2020 – April
  During lockdown I organised a full schedule of virtual events together with several community members. These included online coworking sessions, yoga classes, creative meetups, support groups and Friday night socials.

  For many people living alone during that time, these gatherings became an important way to stay connected.

  

  

• 2020 – November
  As the meetups continued to grow, I created a WhatsApp group so people could stay informed about events and connect more easily.

  The group quickly reached its limits, which made it clear that a better platform was needed. On November 23rd the Slack community was launched, which soon became the central hub for the international community in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

  

  

  

  

• 2021 – 2023: Growing the community in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

• 2021 – January
  As the Slack community continued to grow, it became clear the project needed its own identity.

  That is when the name Live it up, Las Palmas! was created and the community officially received its brand.

  To live it up: ‘To spend one’s time in an extremely enjoyable way, typically by being extravagant or engaging in an exciting social life.’

• 2021 – September
  The weekly meetups had become so popular that the original venue could no longer accommodate the group.

  The meetup moved to Bar San Remo, where it continued to grow into one of the main weekly gatherings for the international community.

  By this point the community required many hours of work each week to organise events and moderate the online space. Apart from occasional donations through BuyMeACoffee, all of this work was done voluntarily.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  7 / 8
• 2022 – February
  The website www.liveitup-laspalmas.com was launched to make the community easier to discover and to provide useful information for people living in or moving to Gran Canaria.

  

  

  

  

• 2024: Trying to make the community sustainable

• 2024 – March
  Vendor accounts were introduced as an experiment to make the community financially sustainable. By that point running the community required a significant amount of time every week and it was still being managed entirely by one person.

  Until then almost all of the work had been unpaid, supported only by a handful of partnerships and occasional donations. The goal was simple: to finally make the time and energy invested in building and maintaining the community financially worthwhile.

• 2025 – 2026: Stepping away and closing the chapter

• 2025 – May
  After many years of organising weekly community meetups alongside many other gatherings such as dinners, boat parties, coworking sessions, networking events and rooftop events, I introduced a summer break for the first time.

  Showing up every single week for years had become exhausting and the meetups were starting to take more energy than they were giving back.

• 2025 – September
  During the summer I realised how much I enjoyed having my Tuesday evenings back and simply relaxing at home after work.

  I announced that I would no longer host the weekly meetups myself. Shortly afterwards community members stepped forward to keep the tradition alive, and the meetup continues every Tuesday at 8pm at Bar San Remo.

• 2026 – March
  After many years of organising events, managing the platform and building the community, I decided to step away.

  When I arrived in Gran Canaria in 2018 and started organising meetups, bringing people together quickly became something I really loved doing. Over the years that role grew far beyond simply hosting events, and moderating Slack.

  Over time the energy and passion I once had for it slowly faded, and stepping away was not a sudden decision but the natural result of that change.

  The community continues thanks to the people who are part of it, but for me this chapter has come to an end.

Thank You!

To everyone who joined a meetup, shared advice in Slack, helped newcomers settle in, organised events or simply showed up to connect with others: thank you.

This community was never built by one person alone. It grew because thousands of people were willing to open up, share experiences and make this island feel a little more like home for others.

Thank you for being part of it.