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.

It's mushroom season in Mallorca right now, with plenty of foraging to be had in the forests around the island. Mancor de la Vall is the village which has laid claim to the fair celebrating this humble fungus. This lovely little town lies in the foothills of the Tramuntana mountains and this autumn fair is one of its annual highlights.

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.

Last weekend Mallorca’s capital hosted the Legends Cup, a tennis tournament a part of the exclusive ATP Champions Tour. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening than being a part of this intimate sporting event, so decided to pop along for Saturday evening’s semi-finals.

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.

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.

Santanyi's weekend market is one of the better markets on Mallorca. It's not a big market, certainly not as big as the sprawling market at Sineu, but it has some interesting stalls with unusual gifts to take home, some fresh local produce and even some clothing and art.

Pitched in a large tent on the outskirts of Mallorca’s capital city of Palma, Grup Trui hosted this years Mallorcan take on the German beer festival, the Oktoberfest. Frothy litres of beer and currywurst were served by waiters and waitresses in traditional German dress and a band played classic tunes to entertain the crowds.

On December 2nd, I joined a whole host of families as they flocked to Santa Ponsa’s Christmas Market, held in the industrial area of Son Bugadellas.

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.

Last week we saw opening parties for Hed Kandi, Mallorca Rocks and Nikki Beach this week we have plenty more to look forward to with Superclub openings, garden parties, more festivals and walks with both guides and the undead.

This years Sant Sebastia festivities in Palma last Saturday night were much quieter than in previous years as wind and rain put many Mallorquians off coming out to celebrate. However, the rain didn’t last long enough to put out the barbecues on the streets and still crowds were there cooking sausages, toasting bread, and warming up by the foguerons (bonfires).

Spain, being predominantly Catholic, worships its saints devoutly. Every day of the year has a saints name associated with it and some are honoured with celebrations. January is a busy month, with Saint Anthony's day on 17th of January and Saint Sebastian following shortly after, on 20th January.

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?