Event Previews & Reviews from Mallorca

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.

Last weekend saw more than 200,000 people flood the streets of Son Ferriol to attend one of the biggest agricultural fairs in Mallorca.

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.

Festivals in Mallorca are a considerably more boisterous affair than our more reserved British fetes with their Maypoles and cream teas.

In recent years, Mallorca has embraced the street food trend that has hit Western Europe, with food festivals popping up at various events around the island. This new found love went to the next level, as the first weekend in June saw Barcelona’s legendary VAN VAN make its debut trip across the Spanish waters to Palma’s Parc de la Mar, next to the city's iconic cathedral.

There's a real buzz in the air ahead of Calvià's biggest party. The battle of the Moors versus the Christians comes at the end of a week of celebrations in the south-western town of Santa Ponsa.

Alaró, like many other towns in Mallorca, was a picture of fairytale festiveness as its residents hosted the 7th edition of their annual Christmas market on December 8th and 9th 2018.

I have been living in Palma for nearly 9 months and was surprised to stumble upon a somewhat common monthly event but still very unknown to many residents here on the island - The Changing of the Guards of Honour.

On a summers evening, I headed deep into the depths of Palma’s old town to join in the fun and frolics of the city’s legendary ‘Tapas Tuesday Tour’, known and advertised as Ruta Martiana on the island.

This Sunday we were lucky enough to catch another spectacular fiesta in Palma de Mallorca. Like the festival in Soller three weeks ago and the up coming Nit de Foc in Palma, this is a Majorcan tradition that is more interested in fun and participation than health and safety - the Catalan Castells.

The beginning of October saw the world’s best dressage riders come to Mallorca to deliver a show-stopping performance at Spain’s first 5* dressage tournament and one of the most difficult dressage competitions on the planet.

The Soller road from Palma cuts through fertile lands of almond and olive groves. The odd goat and flocks of sheep graze in the surrounding fields. A straight road that gives no clue of the vast estates that lie on either side of the road and the interesting stories they have to tell. A few years ago Jill Sander, the German fashion designer, was prepared to spend 8 million euros on one of these estates and her interest sparked government intervention.

Casa Font i Roig is one of the many historical dwellings that have been converted into small boutique establishments in Mallorca. Many of these places have top-notch restaurants and, in the summer months, they often offer themed evenings like BBQ or Tapas Nights. So, on a warm summers evening, we went along to try Casa Font i Roig’s Friday night BBQ bonanza.

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.