Mallorca Events and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Mallorca / Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain)

Mallorca is a lively island, with many of its principal resorts hosting all kinds of summer events. The island's biggest cultural festivals and religious processions tend to take place around Palma.

Further seasonal things to do await holiday makers in Mallorcan towns and villages such as Arta, Binissalem, Felantix, Inca, Pollenca, Port de Soller, Sa Cabaneta, Sant Joan, Santa Margalida, Valldemossa and Vilafranca de Bonany. Semana Santa sees some enormous Easter celebrations around the island, being followed by the Festa Sant Francesc and the Festa Sant Jordi.

Nearby Palma Nova, the leading holiday resort of Magaluf is well-known for its party atmosphere and clubs, with the Mallorca Rocks Hotel staging a live music festival all through the summer. First held in 2010, these concerts draw some surprisingly big-names in the world of pop, rock and Indie music, while the hotel also stages pool parties each week, as well as boat parties and 'silent raves'.

Public Holidays

There are approximately fourteen accepted public holidays in Spain, which can be acknowledged on either a local or national basis. Listed below are those dates observed in Mallorca.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - Año Nuevo / New Year's Day
• 5th January - Epifanía / Epiphany
• 19th March - Dia de San José / St. Joseph's Day
• Late March or early April - Jueves Santo / Maundy Thursday
• Late March or early April - Viernes Santo / Good Friday
• 1st May - Fiesta del Trabajo / Labour Day
• 15th August - La Asunción / Feast of the Assumption
• 12th October - Nacional de España / National Day
• 1st November - Todos los Santos / All Saints' Day
• 6th December - Dia de la Constitución / Constitution Day
• 8th December - La Inmaculada Concepción / Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• 25th December - Navidad / Christmas Day

Mallorca Special Events 2014 / 2015

A variety of occasions are shown below for a taste of what Mallorca and nearby islands have to offer. However, the already busy social calendar of the Balearic Islands is continually being added to.

January

• Revelta i Beneides de Sant Antoni Abat - January 16th and 17th, this fiesta includes bonfires, parades, dancing, feasting and people in costumes
• Processo dels Tres Tocs - January 17th, in Ciutadella, Menorca, this procession celebrates the victory of Alfonso III over the Muslims in 1287
• Festa de Sant Sebastia - January 20th, in Pollenca, Mallorca, a procession with two dancers, known as cavallets, mounting wooden horses

February

• Carnival Parades - February and March, many fancy dress balls mark the end of the Carnival before Lent. Palma hosts the most spectacular fiesta, known as the Cavalcade (Sa Rua)

March

• Semana Santa - held on Maundy Thursday in Palma, Mallorca, a procession leaves the church of La Sang (Iglesia de Sant Crist de la Sang), carrying a crucifix. On Good Friday, many other processions are held in towns, including Palma and Sinue in Mallorca and Mao in Menorca

April

• Festa Sant Francesc - April 2nd, a popular feast of St. Francis is held throughout the islands
• Festa Sant Jordi - April 23rd, this feast day of the patron saint of many towns and villages is celebrated on all the islands
• Princess Sofia Trophy - in Palma, Mallorca, this yachting regatta is one of the most important in the Balearic islands

May

• Festa de Maig - first Sunday in May, held in Santa Eulalia, Ibiza, this spring flower festival ranks amongst the Balearic's most colourful fiestas
• Festa de Nostra Sanyora de la Victoria - second Sunday in May, held in Soller and Port de Soller, Mallorca, these mock battles are staged to mark the raid by the Turkish pirates in 1561
• Eivissa Medieval - second Sunday in May, held in Eivissa, Ibiza, this new festival includes concerts and dancing, celebrating the declaration of Dalt Villa as a World Heritage site in 1992

June

• Corpus Christi - held in Pollenca, Mallorca, this popular festival includes the 'Dance of the Eagles' and is performed in the main town square
• Cala d'Or International Jazz Festival - mid-June, based at the lively resort of Cala d'Or each year, offering something special for lovers of jazz and blues
• Sant Antoni de Juny - June 13th, held in Arta, Mallorca, this feast also includes parades of locals dressed up as horses
• Sant Joan - June 24th, held in Ciutadella, Menorca, horses are a major part of this event, which is the 'Name Day' of King Juan Carlos
• Romeria de Sant Marcal - June 30th, in Sa Cabaneta, Mallorca, this is a popular fair which is also held in other towns

July

• Dia de Virgen de Carmen - July 15th and 16th, held all over the Balearic islands. This feast of the patron saint of sailors includes parades and the blessing of fishing boats
• Passejada dies Bou i Carro Triunfal - July 27th and 28th, held in Valldemossa, Mallorca, this celebration includes a feast, a bull and a procession of carts

August

• Copa del Rey - first week in August, held in Palma, Mallorca, this large and very popular international yachting regatta is held under the patronage of King Juan Carlos
• Sant Ciriac - August 8th, held in Ibiza, the feast commemorates the Spanish recapture of these islands
• Mare de Déu del Mar (Lady of the Sea) - mid-August, with a harbourfront procession in Cala d'Or
• Festa de Sant Lorenc - second week in August, held in Alaior, Menorca, with riding displays in the streets
• Assumption of the Virgin - August 15th, this is a major festival staged throughout Spain
• Sant Agustin - August 28th, held in Felantix, Mallorca, this fiesta includes horse-riding shows and dancing

September

• Processio de la Beata - first Sunday in September, held in Santa Margalida, Mallorca, this procession of floats and people dressed in folk costumes honours Sant Catalina
• Diada de Catalunya - September 11th, this event is a national holiday throughout the islands
• Festa des Vermar - last Sunday in September, held in Binissalem, Mallorca, this grape-harvest festival includes floats and also concerts
• Festa del Melo - last Sunday in September, held in Vilafranca de Bonany, Mallorca, this watermelon festival celebrates the end of the harvest

October

• Dia de la Hispanidad - October 12th, a national Spanish holiday, held to commemorate the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492
• Festa de Virgin - October 21st, held in Palma, Mallorca, this festival includes large amounts of cakes, singing and general festivities
• Festa dies Butifarro - third Sunday in October, held in Sant Joan, Mallorca, this event includes eating large amounts of tasty sausages

November

• Sant Carles (San Carlos) - November 4th, this is the patron saint's day and is celebrated throughout Ibiza
• Dilous Bo - third Thursday in November, held in Inca, Mallorca, this event is an important agricultural feast, including fairs and market stalls
• Birthday of Junipero Serra - November 24th, the birthday of this Franciscan monk is celebrated throughout the region

December

• Noche Buena - December 24th, Christmas Eve celebrations, including nativity plays and midnight mass, throughout the islands
• Santos Inocentes - December 28th, a Spanish equivalent of April Fool's Day
• Festa de l'Estandard - December 31st, held in Palma, Mallorca, this feast commemorates the town's conquest in 1229