Aidan Fitzgerald

Balearic Islands Events for 2011

Heading to Ibiza for a fun filled holiday later this year or perhaps in 2011? Read our guide to some of the highlights throughout the year in the party island. We also include a bit about what is happening in neighbouring islands.

On January 16th and 17th the fiesta  Revelta I Beneides de Sant Antoni Abat takes place in Mallorca. This popular fiesta celebrates the spirit of the island and its traditions.  Locals and visitors alike dance to local traditional music by bonfire and the area is awash with colour. Join in the parades and sing along to the musical extravaganzas.

In Menorca, the Processo dels Tres Tocs is celebrated on January 17 in Ciutadella

This celebrates the 1278 victory of a local Minorca king against Muslim invaders.

Festa Sant Jordi - April 23rd, this feast day of the patron saint of many towns and villages is celebrated on all the islands.

One of the most important yachting regattas in the Balearic Islands takes place in Palma,  Mallorca – The Princess Sofia Trophy.

On the first Sunday in May one of the most colourful spring flower festivals takes place in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza.

Held over a three day period and attracting more than 100,000 visitors, the Eivissa Medieval festival transforms Ibiza old town into its medieval past with minstrels, falcon trainers, spice merchants, dancers and hundreds of market stalls.

On June 13th The festival of Sant Antoni de Juny is held in Arta, Mallorca. The celebration includes parades of locals dressed up as horses. On the 24th June in Ciutadella, Menorca, the fiesta Sant Joan is held, also King Juan Carlos’s name day. Horse lovers will delight at this festival, as horses are a major part of the celebration.

On the first week of August in Palma, Mallorca, the very popular yachting regatta the Copa del Rey takes place. On Previous years members of the Spanish Royal family were in attendance as well as many celebrities from the world of stage and screen.

This month (8th Aug) also sees the celebration of Fiesta Sant Ciriac, which commemorates the reconquest of the Balearics by the Spanish in 1235. What is unique about this celebration is that visitors can battle it out in a watermelon fight, which precedes a magnificent firework display.

Les Festes de La Beata , celebrated usually on the first Sunday of September honours Sant Catalina. The Fiesta is held in Santa Margalida with lively processions and street parties commemorating the saint’s beatification by Pope Pius VI. On the Saturday evening before, a procession of floats leaves the local church followed by music and dance. Food is also served and children usually dress up in devil costumes and run through the streets.

October

If you are thinking of heading off to The Balearics for mid term, take the kids to the annual  Festa dies Butifarro held in Sant Joan, Mallorca on the third Sunday in October each year. The focus for this festival is on Mallorcan culture and food especially the tasty sausages consumed in large amounts. Visitors are also treated to a variety of folk music and dance.

November

Held each year on 4th November , the fiesta Sant Carles  is the Patron saint of Ibiza’s day and is celebrated throughout the island. Celebrations are known to continue throughout the month of November with sporting tornaments, paella eating, music extravaganzas, folk dancing and even a mushroom picking competition.

December

A number of fiestas take place ach year throughout the Balearics in December. Noche Buena celebrates Christmas on the 24th December on all of the islands with nativity plays, Christmas carols and midnight mass. The Festa de l’Estandard takes place each year on 31st December in Palma, Mallorca  and commemorates Palma’s conquest in 1229.

There you have it..our guide to some of the top fiestas throughout the Balearic Islands. If you need accommodation, check out our range of cheap hotels in Ibiza.

Article Tags: Balearic Islands, Takes Place, Fiesta Sant, Each Year

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR