Festa Marinera, Puerto Pollensa

The festivities for Verge del Carme run between the 12th and 15th July 2012 with many parties and activities for all ages. The festivities are smaller but no less significant to those held in the old town of Pollensa in August for “La Mare de Deu dels Angels” - also known as “La Patrona”. Each day of the four day long Mallorcan festival has events held in the early evening for children such as bouncy castles, games and foam parties. Then later on there are parties to attract an older crowd, such as traditional music groups, concerts and the Festa Marinera. All these festivities culminate in a huge fireworks display at midnight on the 15th July on the beach “La Gola” which is located along the main road. This year the fireworks were supported and sponsored by many local businesses and restaurants to keep the party spirit alive despite economic difficulty.

This year was the first time Port Pollenca has celebrated with a “Festa Marinera” which roughly translated means “Sailor Party”. Those attending were advised to dress up in stripes, hats and all things nautical. Although not everybody was dressed strictly in sailor attire, there were plenty of blue and white stripes to be seen. The party was set to rival the old town of Pollensa’s “Marcha Blanca” (White Party), whether or not it did is uncertain, but what is true is that both are thoroughly enjoyable and these towns know how to throw a good party.

The Festa Marinera kicked off at 11.00 pm in the Main Square where tourists and locals alike could enjoy dancing and fun until the small hours of the morning. The square was appropriately decorated with ticker tape and there was even a rowing boat on stage next to the DJ. The start time was ideal to draw in crowds of children wanting to dance their energy off before bed and for parents wanting to have some fun without the extra hassle. Then the later crowd of mainly locals from surrounding towns would arrive to party and dance in the main square before moving on to sample other hot spots of the town such as Tuky’s or Chivas. One thing I noticed is that the tourists dominated the party at the beginning as they came from the restaurants after dinner at around 11 or 12 pm, then it is not until later on that more locals began to show up at around 1 or 2 am.

Very rarely do you see tourists and locals mingle so well until there is music and ticker tape to set the mood. The music provided by DJ C&C Music Factory appealed to a large audience by playing popular hits from the current charts and classics from years gone by.

As with most of these parties, the bars around the square set up temporary outdoor bars to keep the punters happy with fast service and a large range of drinks.

Judging by this years performance, the Festa Marinera is due to continue in years to come and other than the fireworks, it is definitely one of the main attractions to the Verge del Carme festival. If you have a chance to visit Mallorca around this time, it is without a doubt a date to put in the diary.