Majorca is a never-ending party island; it seems like every week there’s a new saint to be celebrated and old tradition to be honoured. This is especially relevant during the summer when every week ‘verbenas’ (outdoor parties) are celebrated in every town all over the island. To kick off this party season, the father of them all, Sant Joan, gets underway this weekend with an assortment of beach parties, bonfires, bbqs, fireworks and correfocs (an exciting and thrilling display of fire-dancing where brave members of the public can take part)… Put aside a day of your holiday at your Gran Isla hotel to get down to Palma city centre and experience what a real Spanish party is all about…

Before we talk about all the exciting festivities you are going to take part in, let’s have a history lesson. What do we know about San Juan? (Or Sant Joan in the language spoken in Majorca). This highly-anticipated celebration, like most traditional festivities in Spain, has religious origins as it celebrates Saint John the Baptist. Starting in the 14 century, the saint, who was an important figure that ‘prepared the way for Jesus Christ’, was honoured every year in the Balearic Islands through figures representing the different representatives of society, e.g. the noble, the clergy, the farmers and the artists and craftsmen.

A typical Correfoc in Majorca

Nowadays, however, its religious significance has been slightly forgotten and, instead, both locals and visitors alike celebrate this festival on 23rd June with large ‘torradas’ (bbqs) on the beach, live music and fireworks. The excitement in the air is further incited by these firework displays and ‘correfocs’, which are fire-dancing performances conducted by local community members wearing frightening demon masks who chase children as they giggle with joy with sparkles and which you can dance under to the beat of the drums. Yes, these are a fire hazard but, if you are wrapped top to bottom with thick and fire-proof clothing, we recommend taking part in this unique experience, if you consider yourself brave enough! To top it all off, midnight calls for a swim in the nude which is meant to preserve health. Are you up for the challenge?

In addition to these lively festivities you will be able to discover Majorca’s best display of art and culture during the Sant Joan Calvia Fair, not to far away from our Gran Isla Hotels in Santa Ponsa and Palmanova. Here you can take an interesting walk through the Town Hall or Plaza de la Vila and admire displays of printmaking, music, photography, cuisine, printmaking and much more…

Don’t let the opportunity pass for you to experience an authentic Spanish fiesta and try succulent sausages from the torradas, dance in fire with demons, swim in the nude and party on till dawn…