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 year saw the town of Sa Pobla celebrate its 20th annual Jazz Festival. From the 5th to the 8th of August the town’s Plaça Major was filled to the brim with spectators, who had come to enjoy the sounds of the different artistes performing each night.

Spring officially takes hold. With support from the city of Palma de Mallorca and the collective Balearic Islands Government, the international festival of contemporary dance, 'Palma amb la dansa' as it's called in Catalan...or Palma loves dance in English, has arrived to Mallorca for the eighth year in a row.

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.

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 children of Mallorca have twelve weeks holiday in the summer. Summer schools are therefore essential to allow parents to work in the tourist industry and to stop the little ones getting bored of holiday life. The families of the hidden valley have choices - groups based in school buildings throughout Soller, the community centre Ca’n Dulce, or the favoured one of my family – the Tennis & Swimming Summer School. 

The second week in May brings the Es Firo festival to Soller. This is also known as the battle between the Moors and Christians.

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 Superyacht Cup opened its docks to the public this year. I went down to take a look and quickly realised what a different world it is…

The 50th International Plastic Art’s Competition on display in Pollenca Museum.

Soller is situated in the plains of the valley, surrounded on three sides by the majesty of the Tramuntana mountain range. This encloses us and keeps us safe or insular – both interpretations are valid. It is very common for my neighbours to think they are planning a huge expedition if they venture through the tunnel to join the rest of Mallorca. The car gets packed up with the ‘just in case’ supplies and local friends wish them a good journey.

Mallorca’s fun-seekers, foodies and fashionistas gather at Nikki Beach’s world-famous champagne brunch every Sunday. This brunch bonanza is an all-you-can-eat feast with two hours’ worth of unlimited champagne.

Carnival happens in the Port of Soller from Friday 2nd March onwards. Take a trip to the marina end of the Port in the morning and the children from the only school in the Port will parade down to the sea in their fine costumes. Masked princesses, skeletons, pirates, fairies and goblins will stroll among the holiday makers and locals.