Event Previews & Reviews from Mallorca

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 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.

The mountains that surround the Soller valley met their conqueror 100 years ago. The thinkers of the hidden valley knew that progress was going to be impossible unless they ended Soller's mountain isolation. At the turn of the century Soller was a boom town trading in cotton and oranges and moving these goods other than by sea was, quite simply, impossible. The majestic mountains and, in particular, the Alfabia mountain range prevented passengers and goods being transported to the island’s main port in Palma de Mallorca.

The Esporles Sweet Fair began in 2005 and is held on the first Sunday of October to guarantee fine weather. The event is becoming increasingly popular and diverse with every passing year and offers a unique opportunity to meet the people who make a fine range of traditional, homemade and, often, organic foods including wines, cakes, pastries, jams and sweets. And, of course, to sample their wares! Here are some of my favourite stands from Sunday's fair, with an insight into the characters and traditions behind the produce.

The 54th Festival of Pollenca is under way and a part of it is an exhibition by Mallorcan born artist Astrid Colomar. 

At risk of ruining one of Mallorca’s best kept secrets, I am going to share my experience of La Fira del Vi de Pollença, in English – Pollenca’s wine fair.

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.

If you were in Palma on Friday night, you might have wondered what was going at the Parque del Mar, in front of the Cathedral. A massive pair of inflatable legs stretched out from the centre of a dazzling stage complete with bright red heels. 

This Friday 8th July Bar Flexas will once again be hosting its mad, fab and outrageously camp fiesta in Parc de la Mar. With cabaret-style shows and plenty of live music, the flamboyant presenters are sure to have you on your feet singing and dancing by the end of the night.

Palma Boat Show 2017 saw more than 500 exhibitors representing almost 4000 boat and marine brands in front of the city’s iconic cathedral, between Friday 28th April and Tuesday 2nd May 2017.

Nit de Foc, or the direct English translation ‘Night of Fire’, is one of Mallorca’s biggest fiestas. A raucous evening of bonfires, beach parties, midnight swims, music and dancing until dawn. What more could you possibly want from a Friday evening in Mallorca? I was extremely excited to get involved this year, as there had been a lot of hype in the lead up to the evening with locals, expats and tourists all getting involved.

The Soller valley contains the village of Fornalutx - high above Soller it nestles into the mountains and its name literally translated means ‘the oven of the sun’. Fornalutx has it all – prizes for being the prettiest village in Spain and accolades from visitors and travel writers that come from all over the world.

The far easterly village of Capdepera was bursting with activity last weekend as it celebrated its 17th Medieval fair. Over 70,000 visitors flocked to its picturesque streets, most heading straight up to the walled fortress of Capdepera Castle, which provides a very authentic backdrop to the festivities.

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.