You may think that Christmas, and New Year AND Three Kings are over, and that therefore everything is back to normal in Mallorca, but you would be wrong as we still have two more fiestas to go this month, and we love them!
First up we have St Antoni this coming weekend. You will be able to join in at outdoor barbecues all over the island on Saturday evening. Some of the best ones are in my neck of the woods which is Andratx and S’Arraco, but you will also have places like Sa Pobla, Felanitx, Muro, Santanyi, Sencelles, Son Servera, Pollensa and Binissalem to check out as well. They are spread out over the weekend with some happening on Friday evening as well. The fiesta is split into two halves: you have the barbecue where everyone steals everyone elses’ sausages and gets drunk, followed by the Corre Foc, the fire run where recently inebriated people are invited to participate with people dressed up in really scary devil costumes and play with fireworks. What could possible go wrong?
Up in Sa Pobla on Saturday at about 5.30pm they will also have human towers which I have always wanted to see so I might make a dash to get up there, then at midnight in Sa Pobla will be their amazing fire spectacular with demons, dragons and drummers in Placa Major.
If that doesn’t get you going then there’s always something going on at the Auditorium and I understand that this weekend there is a performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral with the Victor Ullate Ballet on Saturday evening. More information can be found on the Auditorium Palma website.
Then on Sunday 15 January you have to make your way to the church with your pet cat, dog, sheep, goat, hamster, whatever you have you should take along to be blessed. There are blessings in Biniali, Cala D’Or, Santanyi, Soller, and Andratx.
On the Monday the St Antoni fiestas continue in Alaro with a parade, bonfires and a correfoc in the evening. You can also go along to Deya, Maria de la Salut, Muro, Sa Coma, Santa Maria del Cami, Soller, Son Carrio and more action in Sa Pobla.
Then all attention is focused on Palma for the big San Sebastian parties. The Fiesta Sant Sebastia is one of the biggest festivals in Mallorca and celebrates the Patron Saint of the capital.
The big nights are around the 18th, 19th and 20th (the day of Saint Sebastian), with the main parties and concerts being held on the 19th. Other entertainments such as the Castellers de Mallorca and the fire runs (Correfoc – wear long sleeves!) are on the 20th January.
There will be exhibitions, music and parades for the duration of the festival and you’ll find all the details in the Official Programme (available about a week before the event).
This Thursday at Santosha Restaurant in Palma in their Sala Cinco they will have movie nights on Thursdays. This week it’s “Once” 12.1, and next week it’s “Forest Gump” 19.1 ( you should reserve though). And on Saturday nights they have live music during dinner.
This Friday there will be a live music movement meditation at Zunray in Palma from 20h30-22h30. It’s going to be a monthly event, but get in there quick as this is a great way to start off the year. There is also a weekly 5 Rhythms class at Ling Tai which is every Sunday from 6.30pm
You’ve also got the Palma Dogs fundraiser coming up. They’ve called it the “Beat the Meh, find your Woof!” Pub Quiz Fundraiser. It will be on Tuesday, January 17th at 7.30 at Atlanticos in the Old Town in Palma. You can have a team of up to 4, €2 each to enter. And there will also be a raffle at €2 per ticket. All proceeds going towards the various associations and individuals who work tirelessly to get owner less dogs out of pounds and into foster or forever homes. That’s organised by Caroline Stapley who regularly takes people up to the dog homes in Mallorca and takes the dogs out on walks.
On Saturday 21st Jan Tony from Bar Rosita’s, Calvia Village will be having his annual birthday bash, free live music Tony Paris, free buffet and lots of fun.
Of course, if you’re after a new year’s resolution and you want to get yourself fitter, healthier and take charge of your lifestyle then I can recommend you do the Whole Life Challenge. This is an eight week programme which starts on Saturday January 21st at CrossFit Mallorca. It incorporates diet, exercise and lifestyle enhancements such as beginning to meditate or taking time to spend with friends rather than your phone, small things which add up to a much greater deal. You can get more info by contacting on Facebook, just look for their page CrossFit Mallorca.
There will also be two detox workshops in January run by Ziva To Go, a vegan business which now has three locations on the island. Ziva’s founder, Petra Wigermo will lead the detox workshops. You can choose from one in Santa Ponsa on Thursday 26th and one in Santa Catalina on Saturday 28th. In both workshops you will be helped to plan your own detox and make decisions about how you want to approach it, learn about why it is good for you to do these things and also try out some different juice recipes which may be helpful for you. You can get more info and book up for that at any of the Ziva locations on the island, or find them on Facebook.
And if you want to get stuck in to some good works this year then you could either join up to The Wednesday Group which meets every, you’ve guessed it, Wednesday, in Bendinat. They are dedicated to making craft and knitted items which can be donated or sold on behalf of charities on the island and it’s also a fun and sociable way to learn new skills and make new friends. You can get more details from Kay at The Universal Bookshop in Portals Nous. OR you can go along to a meeting at The Boathouse in Palma on February 10th which is being organised by the Cancer Support Group as they are looking for people who can volunteer and help them with their ongoing work. You can get more information about that event on my website http://www.mallorcamatters.com along with all the rest of this info and more.