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.

Happy New Year, the Three Kings have made their journey to all Majorcan homes. They started with their arrival by boat in the Port of Soller where they were met by hundreds of local children waiting for the sweets and smiles from the Kings and their pages. They knew that this was just the start and that overnight the presents would arrive, delivered by the Kings on camels or donkeys.

The Mallorca Live Festival, to be held on 29th and 30th April this year, offers up sixteen eclectic and colourful hours of music, art, food and design.

The people of Pollenca have been given a reprieve this week as the Miquel Salom photography exhibition that was supposed to run until the 25th of May has been extended until the 7th of June.

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.

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.

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.

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).  

It's another bust week of opening parties, live music and even a chance to canoe round an island, as ever there's lots going on here in Mallorca.

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 joys of February in the Soller valley must be experienced. The blossom is appearing on the trees, and the orchards are a mass of pink and white. The grass has been overtaken by yellow sorrel, providing a carpet for the blossom. This truly is a special time of year and an early indication that spring in Majorca comes sooner than in England.

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.

After a day of heavy rain, the sunshine came out for the second edition of The Spring Fair in Port Adriano. From 11:00 to 19:00, an area of the port was dedicated exclusively to family fun.