Today marks the 60th anniversary since The Beatles holidayed in Tenerife

Today, April 17^th, marks the 60^th anniversary since Tenerife welcomed some very special visitors to the island, in the form of The Beatles, who had just released their debut album Please Please Me. Three members of the band, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr went unnoticed among the islanders with a musician friend, Klaus Voorman, who came instead of John Lennon who chose to go to Malaga instead alone, after an intense period of recording.

The four of them stayed in a villa in La Montañeta in Los Realejos, and got chance to sample some of the activities that the island has to offer, including visiting the Las Cañadas del Teide National Park, where they were "fascinated by the beautiful and strange landscape”, tour the Villa de La Orotava, admire the Drago de Icod, bathe on the beach of San Marcos, and even see a bullfight in the Plaza de Toros in Santa Cruz de Tenerife,

However, they spent most of their time in Puerto de la Cruz, where tourism began to take off back in the sixties, and where Paul McCartney nearly drowned.

The songwriter found himself in trouble due to the force of the current and the waves at Playa Martiánez and had to be rescued (how history may have been different!). After this, they wisely chose to bathe in Lido San Telmo pools, the location of The Beatles concert in Tenerife that could have been, but never was.

Paul and George relaxing with photographer Astrid Kircherr in Puerto de la Cruz

"They had to change the beach for the swimming pool and there they really enjoyed themselves, and at one point asked if they could join in and play with the Lido San Telmo band, but were refused," says historian González Lemus, who believes that they were denied the performance because they were "long-haired", especially Klaus Voorman, who had hair below his shoulders.

That would have been The Beatles first ever public live performance in Spain and will go down in the history books as a missed opportunity.

However, there were a few privileged people who heard the voices of The Beatles in the area of ​​La Montañeta, in Los Realejos: "The music of Please Please Me could heard from their villa as they practised and sang the songs late into the night.”

What we wouldn't give now to be one of those privileged Tenerife residents who heard the instruments and voices of The Beatles live. Above all because, according to Klaus Voorman himself, those days that they spent in Tenerife were the last that they lived as normal young people, without the pressure of the fans or the concerts

The weeks that followed that trip to the Canary Islands, nothing would ever be the same for them. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, along with John Lennon, would surprise the world with their innovations in the world of music, the messages of their songs and also their influences on men's fashion.

However, you can relive the music of The Beatles in Tenerife with TributoFest, as one of Europe’s best tribute bands are performing at the auditorium in Los Cristianos. Click the image for more details.