Menorca Events and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain)

The Mediterranean island of Menorca has been known for its established cultural scene for many centuries, with religious ceremonies and processions, annual Spanish-themed festivals and many other seasonal things to do, a number of which date all the way back to the 14th century.

Popular events on Menorca include a plethora of summer fiestas, various concerts and countless beach parties, with Mahon's annual music festival standing out in particular, along with its opera weeks each May and December.

Lovers of jazz and blues should consider holidaying on the island in late April or early May, when the Menorcan Jazz Fest is in full swing, while further jazz and live music events are often staged within Mahon's Es Freginal Park. In Ciutadella, the Capella Davidica features additional summertime concerts, along with the Festes de Sant Joan.

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 Menorca.

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

Menorca Special Events 2014 / 2015

A variety of occasions are detailed here to illustrate what Menorca and nearby islands have to offer. However, the already busy social calendar of the Balearics is continually being added to.

January

• Revelta i Beneides de Sant Antoni Abat - January 16th and 17th, this fiesta in Mallorca includes bonfires, parades, dancing, feasting and many people dressing up 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, 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 celebrated 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
• Menorcan Jazz Fest - April and May, lasting for six weeks, with jazz and blues concerts staged in both Ciutadella and Mahon

May

• Festa de Maig - first Sunday in May in Santa Eulalia, Ibiza, this spring flower festival is especially colourful and fragrant
• 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
• 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 King Juan Carlos's name day
• Romeria de Sant Marcal - June 30th, in Sa Cabeneta, Mallorca, this is a popular fair and also takes place in a number of 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 and a bull, together with a procession of carts
• Mahon Music Festival - July and August, with internationally acclaimed musicians and orchestras performing at the historic Teatro Principal in Mahon, Menorca

August

• Copa del Rey - first week in August, staged 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, this feast commemorates the Spanish recapture of these islands
• 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, held 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 parade of floats and people dressed in folk costumes remembers 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 festival includes eating large amounts of tasty sausages

November

• Sant Carles - November 4th, held in Ibiza, this event is the patron saint's day and is celebrated throughout Ibiza
• Dilous Bo - third Thursday in November, held in Inca, Mallorca, this is an important agricultural feast, including fairs
• 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