MALLORCA - FESTIVALS

Fiestas are a big part of Spanish culture and it`s no different on Mallorca! It`s a time when families, friends or, in the case of village fiestas, the whole community comes together to celebrate. To attend one is a fabulous way of understanding Spanish culture and everyone is made welcome, especially children.

January

Three King`s
All Spain celebrate the visit of the Three Kings to the stable bringing, of course, their gifts. This is the equivalent of Christmas Eve when all children would receive their gifts. Around the island each village will have their own three king visit on the evening of the 5th of January - possibly on tractors, tourists trains or horses. But by far the most elaborate procession will be in Palma where the Kings may actually arrive on Camels!

San Antonio Abad
Celebrated in the Sa Pobla, Arta, Costitx, Manacor and Sant Joan areas where large bonfires take pride of place in the festivities. The locals dance around the fires in their garish costumes while in Sa Pobla its traditional to eat the `Espinegades` which is similar to a slice of pizza with a savory topping.

Beneides de Sant Antoni
Celebrated mainly in Palma, Costitx, Manacor, Sa Pobla and Petra. Pollensa celebrates `Pi de Sant Antoni`.

Revetla de Sant Sebastia
Another bonfire fiesta happens over the evening of the 19th then on the 20th the fiestas of `Sant Sebastia` is celebrated in Palma where he is the patron saint, and Costitx. In Pollensa the fiesta of `Sant Sebastia` is celebrated with a Procession where an image of the Saint is carried around the town.

February

Carnival:
Carnival fiestas are celebrated throughout the month of February in all the towns across Mallorca. The individually designed floats are lovingly built over the winter months. Each features a theme and they are manned by entire families, dance schools and organizations. Most of the larger towns and resorts will have their own small procession but the largest and most spectacular takes place in Palma.

March

Easter Week:
An extremely popular celebration in Spain, second only to the 3 kings fiesta at Christmas. Processions of different sizes and grandeur are held all over the island across the holiday (Thursday to Sunday). For example on Maundy Thursday, Palma has a procession that leaves the church of La Sang, carrying a crucifix. On Easter Friday, Sineu and Pollensa both celebrate with a traditional Procession.

Pancaritat/Festa de l`Angel:
In the week after Easter many towns celebrate the Fiesta of the Guardian Angel of Palma with pilgrimages to the chapels, where the last empanadas (traditionally at Easter eaten dumplings) are shared and the bread is blessed (pancaritat). The biggest is in Palma to the castle Bellver with over 20,000 people.

May

Wine Days Mallorca
There are more than a dozen wineries in the Binissalem area and they all open their doors to whoever wants to have a look around during this festival. There are also cultural events in the villages in the area and of course lots of lovely food and wine to try.

Moros y Cristianos
The festival of Moors and Christians takes place in Sóller commemorating the victory of the Christians over the Turkish pirates in 1561. The locals make up the two opposing teams and the battle begins. Always ending in the victorious Christians giving the Turks their choice to convert to Christianity or die. It`s a fun day of events for all the family and a definite `must see` if you`re on holiday in the Sóller area.

June

Sant Joan
Marks the beginning of summer. On the eve of Sant Joan Day (23 June), bonfires are lit by the sea and the party goes on until sunrise. This magical night is especially celebrated in Palma, Calvià, Deià, Muro, Sant Joan and Felanitx, where "Sant Joan Pelós” dances as part of a very old ritual.

Sant Pere
The patron saint of fishermen. Wonderful coastline processions take place in Palma, Puerto Alcúdia and Port d`Andratx

Sant Marçal
Takes place in Marratxí on 30 June. It is a perfect opportunity to see the pottery products that has made the municipality famous.

Sant Antoni de Juny
Celebrated in Arta and includes parades of locals dressed up as horses

Mallorca Rocks
June 3 – September 18
This music festival in Magaluf gets better every year and goes on all summer. Check the website for the full line up. mallorcarocks.com.

July

Romeria a la Virgen de la Victoria
Takes place in Alcúdia where a typical pilgrimage is undertaken as part of the festivities.

Virgen del Carmen
The patron saint of sailors, fishermen and generally anyone who makes their living from the sea. Thanks are given to this Saint mainly in Port d`Andratx, Cala Ratjada, Sóller and Puerto Pollensa where an evening procession is conducted by boats in honor of the saint.

Sant Jaume
Celebrated in Alcúdia, Calvia, Binissalem, Muro, Santanyi and Portocolom`. Horse races around the towns are the main theme of this fiesta.

Santa Catalina Thomas
Celebrated mainly in Valldemossa with street processions of elaborate floats.

August

La Mare de Déu dels Àngels
Pollença celebrates a festival in honor of the town`s patron saint. The festival is famous for the Moors and Christians mock battle. The first act begins in Plaça Major at 5am, when the municipal band plays the aubade. The most eagerly awaited event takes place in the evening. It is a re-enactment of the battle fought in 1550 in which the townspeople, led by Joan Mas, defeated Dragut`s pirates.

Sant Bartolom
Celebrated in many towns of Mallorca. The most remarkable event takes place in Alcúdia. "La Festa de les Llanternes” (festival of lanterns) is a traditional local festival. Children parade along the medieval streets with lanterns made with water melons and melons and sing traditional Mallorcan songs.

Des Güell a Lluc a peu
For hiking enthusiasts, takes place on the first Saturday of August. It is a popular pilgrimage that is held annually since 1974. At present it brings together 50,000 participants, many of them from the mainland and abroad. The march begins in Plaça des Güell in Palma at 11pm. An iron sculpture by the artist Pep Canyelles with the title `Marxaires` was installed in the square. The 30 mile march takes around 8-13 hours.

Copa del Rey Regatta
The glamorous regatta takes place in the stunning setting of the Bay of Palma and attracts leading teams from around the world. King Juan Carlos won the trophy twice in the 1990s and still usually comes to Mallorca for the event.

Sant Bartomeu
The patron fiestas of with the typical `Cossiers` (historical Mallorquin dances) are celebrated in Algaida and Montuiri. Horse races are held in Arta and Capdepera during their festival for their patron saint `Sant Bartomeu`.

Sant Agustin
Celebrated in Felanitx with medieval dancing, displays of horse riding and of course the ever present traditional dancing.

Festa de l`Estiu
Celebrated in Sant Joan with food, fun and frolics.

September

Procession de la Beata
Celebrated in Santa Margalida, the local people dress sup in folk costume and parade through the town.

Rei Jaume I
Held in Calvià at the beginning of September. It commemorates the arrival of the Christian ships to the beach of Santa Ponça in 1229. The most remarkable events include the re-enactment of the disembarkation and battle between the Moors and the Christians, the "gegants” (giants) and "capgrossos” (large-heads) parades and the medieval markets.

Nit de l`Art
Night of art is another important event in which gallery owners and artists launch the new season. It is held in Palma on the third Thursday September and it is a unique opportunity to see the work of important figures of the international art scene. Museums, art galleries, culture centers and artist studios are open from 8pm to 11pm. They offer appetizers and wine on a festive night centered on contemporary art. The event marks the end of summer and the beginning of a vibrant exhibition season in the main cities of Mallorca.

Fiesta del Vermar
The last summer festival coincides with the end of the grape harvest. In Binissalem, a land of good wines, they celebrate in great style. Wine and "fideus de vermar” ("grape harvest” vermicelli), an old, tasty recipe made with lamb meat, are typical festival food and drink. More traditional dancing at the fiesta of celebrated in Binissalem. It`s a sort of harvest festival celebration to mark the grape-harvest. There`s floats, dancing and usually live music.

Fiesta del Melo
Held in Vilafranca de Bonany for lovers of watermelon.

Port de Sóller classical music festival
There are concerts each weekend during this event in the atmospheric setting of the former monastery of Santa Catalina, which is now a museum. The program usually includes prestigious international musicians.

October

Torrada d`es Botifarro
The celebration of the sausage is celebrated in Sant Joan where you can see typical sausages being made and then cooked on open fires. There is also plenty of traditional dancing (called `xeremies i capgrossos`).

Dia de la Hispanidad
This is a national holiday across Spain, and it commemorates the discovery of the New World by Christopher Colombus in 1492.

Fiesta de la Virgen
Palma celebrates the Fiesta de Virgin where along with the general merriment there`s also the challenge of eating lots of cakes and singing.

November

Dijous Bo (Good Thursday):
The largest and most popular fair of the island is celebrated in Inca on the 3rd Thursday of the month. It`s an important agricultural event and you`re guaranteed great local food.

December

Sant Tomás
This festival in the small town of Sineu, in the center of the island, celebrates the town`s sausage-making tradition. See how traditional sobrassada and other artisanal pork products are made, tasting everything as you go along. infomallorca.net.

The Chant of Sybil
Christmas Eve
The chant of la Sybil is one of the most outstanding aspects of Christmas. It takes place on 24 December. Mallorca and Alghero in Italy are the only two places where the tradition of the medieval Christmas dramatization is still alive. It was declared cultural heritage in 2004. The chant is sung in many churches of Mallorca but the most interesting renditions due to the size of the buildings take place in the Monastery of Lluc and Palma Cathedral. It is sung by a boy carrying a sword and wearing a robe and an embroidered silk cloak.

The Festival of l`Estendard
Takes place on 31 December. It is held in Palma to commemorate the annexation of the island to the European Christian Kingdoms. It is one of the oldest non-religious festivals in Europe. It dates from the 13th century and was declared an intangible cultural heritage. The performance of "Colcada” by Pere d`Alcàntara Penya takes place in Plaça de Cort on the same day. The event draws a large number of people in front of the Town Hall. It is a romance by the Mallorcan writer describing the celebrations in the 19th century. After the event, the gold medals of the city are awarded and the honorable citizens are named. The following day is a time for families to get together around the table to enjoy an afternoon of eating traditional food such as pork.

Summer Music and Shows

In the summer months the number of concerts and shows increases featuring the best artists of the current international scene. They perform in auditoriums and theatres as well as in a large number of festivals held on the island in summer. One of the most important events is a concert at the Torrent de Pareis. It is choir concert that is held in July in a stunning natural venue surrounded by cliffs. This makes it one of the most popular concerts.

Classical Music
The Deià International Festival
Chopin Festival of Valldemossa (the first festival in Europe that was devoted to the Polish composer)
Antoni Lliteres Classical Music Festival (in remembrance of the Mallorcan, Baroque music composer)
Mancomunitat Pla de Mallorca International Festival
Serenates d`Estiu International Music Festival
Cala Ratjada Serenades
Bellver Music Festival and Pollença Festival (member of the prestigious European Festival Association).

Jazz
Jazz Voyeur Festival
Alcúdia Jazz Festival
Festival Mallorca Jazz Sa Pobla and Sa Taronja Jazz Festival
Vila de Capdepera International Percussion Festival
Guitarras del Mundo (world guitars)
Son de Nit in Pollença
Noches Mediterráneas (Mediterranean Nights)
Sóller International Folklore Festival
Waiting for Waits, a festival that pays tribute to the Californian musician Tom Waits.

Opera
The Calvià Opera Festival is held in August and September and is devoted to opera. The most prestigious companies perform in the Mallorca Ballet Season from June to February. You can also see the latest dance productions by small and medium-size companies in the Dansamàniga Festival held in Cala Millor from August to December.