A Small Bar, Some Live Music, and a Lot of Courage
Every Wednesday in Lajares, something amazing happens.
A bar pushes the tables and chairs to the side. Musicians set up. People start arriving.
Someone takes a microphone. Someone grabs a guitar. Someone else stands in the crowd, not fully sure yet if they want to dance or just watch.
And suddenly, everything starts moving at once.
This is the Canela jam session in the center of Lajares.
On paper, it is just a jam session.
Live music. People singing. A few instruments. A crowd.
But for me, it is much more than that. It is one of those nights that reminds you why a surf camp in Fuerteventura can be so much more than just surfing.
Because in the end, a good surf camp is not only about waves.
It is about putting yourself in situations where you get to meet a slightly different version of yourself.
What Happens at the Canela Jam Session?
The Canela jam session is not a polished concert.
That is exactly why it works.
It feels alive because nobody knows exactly what will happen.
Someone might go on stage and sing.
Someone might play guitar, bass, drums, or whatever instrument is available.
Someone might surprise everyone with a voice nobody expected.
Someone might completely mess up and still get cheered on.
And off the stage, the same thing happens in a different way.
People dance.
People laugh.
People talk to strangers.
People stand awkwardly for ten minutes and then slowly start moving.
It is not about being perfect.
It is about participating.
And participation can look very different.
For one person, stepping out of their comfort zone means going on stage and singing in front of a room full of people.
For someone else, it means dancing sober.
Or starting a conversation with someone they don’t know.
Or simply staying in the room instead of hiding behind their phone.
That is what makes this music jam so special.
Everyone can choose their own level of courage.
Why We Love Taking Surf Camp Guests There
At Kyuka Surfclub, we care a lot about experiences like this.
Not because we need to fill the schedule with random activities.
But because a night like Canela brings together many of the reasons people come to a surf camp in the first place.
People don’t only book a surf camp Fuerteventura trip because they want to stand on a surfboard.
Of course, surfing matters.
The ocean matters.
The lessons matter.
But very often, people also come because they want something to change.
They want a different rhythm.
A different environment.
A different group of people around them.
In normal life, we are often surrounded by the same friends, the same jokes, the same roles, the same conversations, the same version of ourselves. And there is nothing wrong with that. But sometimes it becomes hard to know who you are outside of it.
Who are you when nobody knows your stories?
Who are you when nobody expects you to act a certain way?
Who are you when you are standing in a small bar in Lajares and someone says, “Come on, dance with me”?
That is where things get interesting.
A Surf Camp Is a Good Place to Find Yourself Again
I don’t want to make this sound too dramatic. Nobody goes to a jam session on Wednesday night and comes back as a completely new human being. But I do think these moments matter.
Because finding yourself is often not one big realization. It is usually a lot less fancy.
You notice you are braver than you thought.
You notice you can talk to people more easily than expected.
You notice that dancing badly is not the end of the world.
You notice that people actually react positively when you show a bit more of yourself.
And that is powerful. Because every time you step out of your comfort zone and nothing terrible happens, your brain learns something. It learns:
“I can do this.”
That creates a positive feedback loop.
And I think this is one of the most important parts of self improvement. Not reading about confidence forever. Not making another huge plan. Not waiting until you feel ready.
Just doing one small thing that gives you evidence.
Evidence that you can move.
Evidence that you can open up.
Evidence that you can be seen and still be safe.
The Comfort Zone Is Not Always a Bad Place
I think people sometimes talk about the comfort zone in a very aggressive way. Like comfort is always bad. I don’t fully agree with that.
Your comfort zone exists for a reason.
It gives you safety.
It gives you stability.
It gives you a place to return to.
But if you never leave it, your world stays small. That is the problem.
A surf camp in Fuerteventura gives you a very natural way to step out of your comfort zone without feeling completely lost.
You are not alone.
You are with a group.
You have hosts.
You have shared meals.
You have activities.
You have the ocean, the house, the schedule, and the community around you.
And then, within that safe structure, you get little chances to stretch yourself.
A surf lesson.
A group workout.
A dinner question.
A conversation with a stranger.
A Wednesday night jam session at Canela.
Small steps.
But small steps are better than none.
Why Music Brings People Together So Quickly
There is something very primal about enjoying music together.
You don’t need to speak the same language to feel the same rhythm.
At Canela, people from different countries end up in the same room, moving to the same songs, cheering for the same person on stage, laughing at the same strange little moments.
This is why jamming culture fits so well into Lajares.
The town already has this mix of surfers, travellers, locals, remote workers, artists, musicians, and people who somehow ended up here because they were looking for something different.
And on Wednesday night, you can feel that.
It is not a promised success.
It is not perfectly organized.
It is not trying too hard.
It is just people coming together.
And most of the time that is more than enough.
Why Solo Travelers Often Love This Night
For solo travel, moments like this are especially important.
When you travel alone, the first step is often the hardest.
You arrive somewhere new.
You don’t know anyone yet.
You are not fully sure where you belong.
A surf camp already helps a lot with that because the group is built into the experience. You meet people at breakfast, surf together, share rooms, dinners, activities, stories.
But going out together as a group adds another layer. Especially to a place like the Canela jam session. Because suddenly you are not entering the room alone. You arrive with people you already know a little bit. You have a base. You have someone to dance with, laugh with, stand next to, or escape outside with for a minute if it gets too much.
And from there, making friends becomes easier.
The Best Nights Are Not Always the Most Planned Ones
Some of the best surf camp memories don’t come from the perfectly organized moments.
They come from the slightly chaotic ones. The ones where someone unexpectedly sings “Unwritten”. Where the shy person suddenly breakdances. Where someone talks to a stranger and comes back with a new friend. Where the group walks home together and everyone is a little tired, a little sweaty, and somehow definitely closer than before.
That is why we love Canela. It gives people space to participate in their own way.
You can be on stage, in the crowd, dancing in the corner. You can talk outside. You can simply watch and enjoy the atmosphere.
There is no single right way to be part of it. And I think that is exactly why it works.
What You Don’t Change, You Choose
There is a sentence I think about a lot:
“What you’re not changing, you’re choosing.”
It sounds a bit harsh at first, but there is truth in it.
If you always stay in the same routines, the same environment, the same conversations, and the same version of yourself, then life will most likely keep feeling the same.
Not because you are doing something wrong.
But because nothing new is entering the system.
That is why experiences matter.
A surf camp Fuerteventura trip can be one of those experiences.
Not because it solves everything.
Not because one week changes your entire personality.
But because it gives you new input.
New people.
New situations.
New conversations.
New feedback.
And feedback matters.
When you put yourself out there and get positive feedback, it enables you to do more of it with less effort.
You start trusting yourself a little more.
You start trying more things.
You start taking slightly bigger steps.
That is how confidence is often built.
Not in theory.
In real situations.
