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.
Blessings, torrades, ximbombas, fireworks and climbing a 20 metre tree are all things you may witness in Mallorca during the week of Sant Antoni.
With strings of glistening lights adorning every town and village, Christmas has definitely arrived in Mallorca. And what better way to get a festive fix than a trip to a Christmas market?
Traditionally, Mallorcans would celebrate All Hallows' Day ('Tots Els Sants') instead of All Hallows' Eve. People would visit the local cemeteries and bring fresh flowers to their dead.
Do you suffer from the post Christmas blues? If you are visiting Mallorca in January, you will have to turn that frown upside down, as some of the island's biggest fiestas take place this month and are sure to make January the season to be jolly.
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.
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).
Schools out for summer and the children and their teachers celebrated in Soller style with trips to the local museums and the beach taking the place of lessons. The Port of Soller only has one school and it is an integral part of the community. Their end of term concert had the children singing heartily in the playground, ensuring there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
The ‘Ruta del Tapeo’ started in Puerto Pollensa in March this year to encourage locals and tourists alike to sample the culinary delights of bars, cafes and restaurants around this North Majorcan town. The Ruta is held every Thursday evening from 8pm til midnight and is a bargain at only €1.50 for a small glass of beer or wine with a tapa. The Ruta is a great opportunity to try new places and to make friends with others on the trail.
The illustrious annual Medieval fair in Capdepera is set in the streets leading up to the breath-taking castle of Capdepera and is a popular event for adults and children alike.
Following last year’s success, the Port Adriano Street Food Festival once again brought thousands of people to the prestigious port over Easter weekend. Locals and tourists alike flocked to the port to sample the mouth-watering food on offer.
This week Rialto Living kicked off its first art exhibition of 2017 with a showing of Adrian Elgie’s ‘Mis Nuevas Vistas - A Bright New Vista’ and I was kindly invited to visit the opening night. Adrian is an English contemporary landscape artist and, having seen some examples of his paintings and read his background of moving to Mallorca from Cambridgeshire (my home county) to rekindle a romance with his former art college sweetheart on the island, I was keen to find out more.
A visit this spring could be your most pleasant encounter with the island yet.
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.
Sometimes on a weekend, it is nice simply to laze around the house, take a leisurely breakfast and flick idly through the newspaper (or your fancy i-Pad if you are The Frenchman). But not so this weekend! For it is the annual Olive Fair, held in Caimari, in the north west of Mallorca. Named as one of the top ten gastronomic festivals in Europe by The Guardian, it is actually one of the autumn fairs on Majorca that you really shouldn't miss.
If someone says 'Mallorca market', the one that springs to mind for me is the traditional and popular Wednesday market in Sineu (pronounced Sin a you), which has been going since way back in the 14th century. Sineu is a quaint inland town. If you stuck a needle where you guess the middle of the island of Mallorca is, you'd probably hit Sineu, geographically almost centric, strategically situated in the plains known as Es Pla.
The craziness of peak season is over here in Mallorca and as the summer begins to draw to a close there's just enough time for one last big party, or if you want several. The closing parties for Mallorca Rocks, BCM and Nikki Beach Mallorca are just around the corner and if you want to say goodbye to the summer in style then there a few dates to add to your diary.