Festivals

In addition to the major public holidays, towns and villages on each of the islands celebrate a panoply of patron saints' days, fairs, and festivals all their own. Highlights include the following.

Majorca: The Festa de Sant Antoni d'Abat (January 16-17), also celebrated on Ibiza, includes bonfires, costume parades, and a ceremonial blessing of the animals. Sant Joan Pelós (St. John the Hairy), celebrated June 23-24 in Felanitx, features a man dressed in sheepskins representing John the Baptist. The Romería de Sant Marçal (Pilgrimage of St. Mark), a procession of costumed townspeople to the church of their patron saint to draw water from a consecrated cistern—thought to give health and strength of heart—is held June 30 in Sa Cabaneta.

Minorca: The Processo dels Tres Tocs (Procession of the Three Knocks) in Ciutadella (January 17) celebrates the victory of King Alfonso III over the Moors in 1287. At the Festes de Sant Joan (June 23-24) riders in costume parade through the streets of Ciutadella on horseback, urging the horses up to dance on their hind legs while spectators pass dangerously under their hooves. Sant Lluís, at the end of August, also centers on equestrian activities. Mahón's Fiestas de Gràcia (September 7-9) are the season's final celebrations.

Ibiza: On February 12 the Festes de Santa Eulalia is a boisterous winter carnival with folk dancing and music. Sant Josep (March 19) is known for folk dancing, which you can also see in Sant Joan every Thursday evening. On June 23 and 24, is the islandwide Festa Major de Sant Joan (Feast of St. John the Baptist). The Festa del Mar, honoring Our Lady of Carmen, is held July 16 in Eivissa, Santa Eulalia, Sant Antoni, and Sant Josep, and on Formentera. The festival of Sant Ciriac (August 8) celebrates the reconquest of the island from the Moors, and is capped with a watermelon fight beneath the walls of the old city and a fireworks display. Another spectacular fireworks festival, the Festa de Sant Bartolomé, takes place in Sant Antoni on August 24.

Formentera: On July 15-16 islanders honor the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of sailors, with a blessing of the boats in the harbor. The holiday is also celebrated in Ibiza.