Sa Bimbolla Night Market
A new night out in Majorca
The nights in Palma are busy, there is always something going on. The days are so hot here in Mallorca that one of the best times of day is as the sun starts to set. There's no shortage of great bars and restaurants in Palma and shopping in Mallorca usually continues until about 9pm too. A new initiative trying for your attention combines a bit of everything; Sa Bimbolla night fair and market.
The market is open on Sundays and can be found, after a wee bit of a search as it's been cleverly hidden behind an industrial estate, near Son Castello on the outskirts of Palma. It's worth making sure you have noted down the directions for the fair as although it's not hard to find it is hard to believe that you are on the right road. Large, out of town business units and warehouses sit in neatly arranged rows and it seems like an unusual location for a "Mercat Hippie-Artisanal".
The market is in an old courtyard at the end of a lantern lit, tree-lined walkway. The main body of the market is held in the back of a walled garden. Here you'll find artisan stalls selling hand made jewellery. Some of these rings, bracelets and pendants are really cool and we picked up a bracelet as a souvenir of the night out. There aren't too many stalls at Sa Bimbolla, so if you have come to do your shopping you won't find a huge amount of choice here but all the items have a sense of originality and uniqueness to them that would make them a more thoughtful gift than an "I Love Mallorca" T-shirt.
As well as the market stalls there are also live performances from dancers, clowns, musicians and firebreathers/eaters. We only saw one show and although some of the jokes were lost in translation it still made me chuckle, although my companion didn't seem too impressed, which I thought was unfair as the clown did set his foot on fire. Surely big, flaming clown shoes are funny in every language?
The whole market has a very friendly hippy vibe to it and if you went on a gap year and bought fire poi and some hemp trousers you will love it. It is a little out of town so you would probably have to drive which does make it a little tricky to enjoy the bar which is open until the fair shuts at 2am. The whole experience is more of a fair than a market, it's fun and friendly and very unique. Live music and djs, art and performances through the night in a very cool night garden.
If you want fine dining, or raucous bar crawls, both of which are available in and around Palma, then this is not the night event for you. If you have tie-dye drapes in your flat and listen to Bob Marley head over to Sa Bimbolla, you'll love it.
