Read reviews of the best Mallorca events
The Diamond Jubilee celebrations may be over in the UK, but here on Mallorca, we enjoyed a quintessential English garden party at La Residencia Hotel in Deia to mark the British monarch’s 60th year on the throne.
A trip to Deià on the north coast of Majorca is a must for anyone wishing to experience the diversity that this beautiful island has to offer.
The people of Mallorca, like their mainland brothers, love a fiesta. Almost every weekend there seems to be a saint or a historical event that requires face paint and explosions, or at the very least a market. The Fiesta Sant Joan in Mallorca celebrates the life of John the Baptist and in Majorca Sant Joan is a very big deal. Every other street, shop and restaurant seems to be named after him, he's the Patron Saint of four towns and he even has a town named after him.
Spring has sprung and the island is coming to life as the first sun worshippers grace Mallorca’s sandy beaches. With Easter celebrations just around the corner, the island will be gearing up for the summer as seasonal restaurants and hotels start to open after a few months in hibernation.
Sun lovers will be pleased to hear that March officially marks the beginning of Spring and the first of the seasonal hotels and restaurants start to reopen in Mallorca. This is also the time when sun-worshippers start hitting the beaches and wildflowers are starting to bloom.
Calling all seafood lovers! The MarisGalicia seafood fair will be ending its Palma tour on the 25th October, taking with it the freshest tastes from Galicia. Even the rain felt authentic today as I headed towards the huge marquee in the east of the capital, set up especially to host this annual seafood extravaganza.
The Kaiser Chiefs played Mallorca Rocks last night in the Majorca beach resort of Magaluf. The Chiefs were only the second band since the opening party with Ed Sheeran three weeks ago. Since then the crowds have been treated to the likes of Maverick Sabre and Chase and Status but this was the first full band with guitars and vocals and it was a band who are making something of a come back after a long hiatus. Could they still be enough to entertain the Mallorca crowd?
This Saturday the lively Market of Sant Rescat will be held in Plaça Quadrado, in Palma's old town. From 10.00 to 19.00 there will be over 80 stalls selling vintage and second hand goods, Art, and artisan products.
There is an abundance of traditional fiestas and fairs in Mallorca. Whatever the time of year you find yourself on this island, there is always something going on. From religious celebrations dating back to ancient times to traditional Mallorcan fairs, each month there is something to look forward to.
La Patrona is arguably the best and most popular summer festival in Majorca. This fiesta runs from the 24th July to the 2nd August with activities and festivities happening every evening, with the popular ‘Simulacre de Moros i Cristians’ being the final and most exciting event in the schedule.
The children of Mallorca have twelve weeks holiday in the summer. Summer schools are therefore essential to allow parents to work in the tourist industry and to stop the little ones getting bored of holiday life. The families of the hidden valley have choices - groups based in school buildings throughout Soller, the community centre Ca’n Dulce, or the favoured one of my family – the Tennis & Swimming Summer School.
June is upon us now and here in Mallorca that means we have some BIG opening parties ahead of us and the beginning of some of the major events of the Summer.
Last night at Mallorca Rocks in Magaluf Kasabian played the best gig of the summer, so far. The lads from Leicester took to the stage in a whirl of lights and strobes and kicked off with "Days are forgotten". Right from the start the crowd at the Majorca beach resort were looking forward to a party, this was the second birthday of Mallorca Rocks and Kasabian were a perfect choice to celebrate the anniversary.
Most towns on the island have their own Carnival over the weekend, with the largest parties to be found in Palma where the main events are the Rueta (children) and Rua (adults) parades. So do as the locals do, and pick your costume for an unforgettable weekend that both children and adults will enjoy.
Every year in Pollensa the town hosts a week of festivities (La Patrona), from around the 20th July and culminating with an epic battle on the 2nd of August. All throughout the week there are concerts, exhibitions, displays, parades and late night parties and the whole festival is accentuated with canon fire, shotguns, bell ringing, trumpets, drums and fireworks.
One of the best times of the year to visit Mallorca is during the month of May. The temperatures start to rise and the lack of tourists means that you can get around without being stuck in traffic jams. More importantly, the month of May is when the little known town of Capdepera in the north east of the island hosts its Medieval ‘Fira’.
Soller and its hidden valley celebrate all things orange in June with the Fiesta of the Orange. From the 2nd to 17th June, both Soller & Port de Soller go back to their roots and give the orange the place in its calender that it deserves. Soller has a micro climate and water supplies that produce the best oranges.
Every year, during the second weekend of May, the inhabitants of Soller prepare their muskets, bring out the black shoe polish, and engage in fearsome battles to commemorate one of the town’s greatest historical triumphs. In 1561, the town was invaded by pillaging pirates from North Africa who were set on stealing riches and selling the folk of Soller into slavery. This event is celebrated these days during the annual Soller ‘Fira & Firo’ which honours the victory of the town’s people, (the Christian Sollerics) over the invading Algerian Moors (the Saracens).