Pueblo Español Christmas Market 2017 Review
Annual dose of festive spirit in Palma
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.
In recent years, Mallorca has certainly learnt how to churn out some pretty decent Christmas markets, and this week Pueblo Español Christmas market is delivering its annual dose of festive spirit to Palma. On Wednesday evening, I went along to get myself into Christmas mode with a group of friends.
We managed to park in one of the residential streets a couple of minutes’ walk away from the main entrance. The temperature really drops at night on the island at the moment, so we were wrapped up in our coats, hats and scarves as we arrived at the grand entrance. At the ticket booth we were asked to pay 5€ to enter. In return, we were presented with a voucher for a cup of mulled which we were informed could be redeemed at the Insel Radio tent! Walking through the doors, I was instantly struck by the attractive venue.
Pueblo Español really is a Christmas fairy tale setting! I was mesmerised by the splendid architecture, made even more beautiful by dramatic lighting effects and twinkling fairy lights. The red carpets lining the cobbled streets, Christmas stalls and artificial snow falling from the sky just add to an already dreamy venue. The stalls comprise of arts and crafts, stylish boutiques, various food and drink stands and so much more. The place is filled with festive cheer as its patrons sip on mulled wine and sing along to tracks played by the Insel Radio DJ who was playing from a balcony overlooking the crowd.
As for the Christmas stands, one of the best was the Christmas decorations stall near the entrance which was simply divine. I wanted to buy everything! As we ventured further into the market we discovered a real mish mash of offerings, there were dozens of stalls in the main courtyard and lining the maze of little alleyways, nooks and crannies within the artificial village. There appeared to be an infinite amount of fashion boutiques: fur jumpers, sparkly dresses, woolly hats and many more festive treasures were on offer. The Artisan arts and crafts hall was overflowing with colour, selling a range of knick-knacks like handmade jewellery and Christmas decorations through to herbs and spices, ideal for a cheeky stocking filler purchase. The market stall 100% dedicated to all things made from truffle really caught my eye, truffle oil, truffle condiments and much more, it all looked so delicious but I managed to resist temptation.
Speaking of food, it wouldn’t be a Spanish market without food stalls! There was a wide-range of culinary fare on offer, homemade Spanish cuisine consisting of tapas and pintxos through to German and Dutch influences like Dutch ‘Bitterballen’ and German ‘Frische Reibekuchen’ (potato fritters). The sweet-toothed individuals will be keen to know there is a little sugar fest going on too. Colourful crepes appeared to be a popular choice as I observed quite a few youngsters running around with them - a look of pure contentment in their eyes. The children also had their own corner dedicated to them, with a little carousel and toy stall.
After pottering around the market for an hour or so, we headed to grab our mulled wine (Gluhwein) and simply soaked up the atmosphere. There were plenty of bars in the area serving beer, wine, mojitos, Jägermeister and more. We then ventured into one of the buildings which had been set up as a bar-come-antique shop, ideal for sitting down and chatting amongst friends in a quieter setting. Here we ended up staying until 23:00 as the market was closing.
The market was open until the 10th December but there are plenty of other Christmas markets around Mallorca to soak in the festive atmosphere and buy a few presents. Take a look at our Events Calendar for more information.
