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.

This is the week of celebration for St Pere – St Peter. All the fishing communities in Majorca revere the name of their patron saint and Soller is no exception. The fiesta of St Pere is in full swing and one of the highlights of the Soller programme takes place on Wednesday 27th June 2012 at 20.30 hrs - a concert by Pro Musica.

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.

The Fiestas des Vermar celebrate the end of the grape harvest season in Binissalem, turning the village into a lively hub of festivity for nearly three weeks each September. This vibrant event honours the rich tradition of winemaking and the fruitful harvest, with locals proudly wearing traditional costumes, adding to the authentic and festive atmosphere.

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).  

After a fairly hedonistic weekend of parties, late nights and frivolities it's good to finish a Sunday with something calming, relaxing and healthy. In the Palma area one of the best ways to end the week is at the Zhero Hotel Barbeque.

This fun fair (or Feria to the Spanish) is a large-scale amusement park located in Son Fusteret, on the outskirts of Palma de Mallorca between February 27th-April 10th 2016.

The sun is shining and Soller is getting ready for a major fiesta - the Firo that celebrates the battle between the Moors and the Christians that happened on our beach and in our town. The 450th anniversary of the event is taking place from 5th to 9th May 2011. Flags are already festooning houses and shops all over the valley and the nature of the people means that they usually have both flags dangling from their balconies - as if they can't quite decide who to support. The Balearic flag is often alongside so all aspects of life and country are represented.

The Nit de l'Art is the biggest art event on the island, kicking off the artistic season in the island’s capital. Each year, people flood the streets of Palma eager to sample the artistic delights on show.

The Dijous Bo autumn fair is held in Inca on the fourth Thursday after the feast of St Luke (18th October) in November, and is the largest fair of its kind in Mallorca. As with most of Majorca's autumn fairs, it originated as an agricultural fair celebrating the harvest, and has since grown to include a range of sporting and cultural entertainments.

The Christmas festivities are in full swing in Mallorca but this week it was cranked up a notch as Pueblo Español opened its doors for its annual Christmas market.

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.

Is there anything as thrilling as the Correfoc? Literally translated as 'fire run', it's a festivity in which people disguised as devils take to the streets with pitchforks loaded with squealing fireworks.