Mallorca’s Winter Traditions, What to do and see in January
As the celebrations of the Three Kings fade into memory, Mallorca quickly turns its attention to another deeply rooted winter tradition, the festival of Sant Antoni, celebrated on the 16th and 17th of January. Dedicated to Saint Anthony the Abbot, the patron saint of animals, these festivities blend fire, folklore and rural identity.
Sant Antoni Fiestas
Sant Antoni is split into two very different days. The evening of the 16th, known as the Revetlla, is the most intense. Town squares fill with large bonfires, or foguerons, around which locals grill sausages such as sobrasada and botifarró. Dimonis, demon figures, dance through the streets amid drums, fire and fireworks in dramatic correfocs.
The following day has a calmer, communal feel. Animal blessings, known as beneïdes, take place across the island, with residents bringing pets, horses and farm animals to be blessed by local priests.
Several towns are particularly known for their Sant Antoni celebrations. Sa Pobla is considered the spiritual heart of the festival, famous for its music and demon dances. Manacor is known for its sheer scale, with bonfires throughout the town. Artà retains a particularly traditional atmosphere, while Pollença hosts one of Mallorca’s most striking rituals.
Pollença’s Pi!
In Pollença, Sant Antoni is defined by the Pujada al Pi, or pine climb, held on the 17th of January. This dramatic event centres on a towering pine tree, up to 24 metres high, which is felled, stripped and hauled into the town square entirely by hand.
The origins of the ritual are unclear but are believed to predate written records, drawing on pagan fertility rites later absorbed into Christian symbolism. The pine represents strength, endurance and the bond between the town and its surrounding landscape.
Once erected in the Plaça Vella, the trunk is coated in soap and oil, making it extremely slippery. In the evening, participants attempt to climb it without harnesses or safety equipment, often forming human pyramids to help one another. The first person to reach the top claims a symbolic prize, once a live rooster and now usually a wooden one. It remains one of the island’s rawest traditions, notable for its lack of modern safety constraints and its powerful communal spirit. If you want to see it, arrive early, as the small square fills quickly.
Sant Sebastiá in Palma
Later in January, Palma celebrates its patron saint, Sant Sebastià, in the city’s largest annual festival. The origins of the celebration lie in a plague outbreak in the early sixteenth century. According to legend, a relic of Saint Sebastian arrived in Palma in 1523. Attempts to remove it were thwarted by violent storms, but once installed in the cathedral, the plague subsided, and the saint was declared Palma’s protector.
The festival also includes the legend of Na Coca, a crocodile mistaken for a dragon that supposedly terrorised the city. Today, a fire-breathing mechanical version leads parades and lights ceremonial bonfires.
Modern celebrations stretch across two weeks in mid to late January. Bonfires and communal barbecues fill the city, live music takes over the squares, and the Revetlla de Sant Sebastià on the 19th of January transforms Palma into one vast street party. Recent additions include Dia de la Pesta, with theatrical reenactments and gothic performances telling the story of the plague and the saint’s arrival.
Events begin on January 11th with children’s activities in Plaza de Cort and the Drac de Na Coca performance. January 12th sees Sant Sebastià Petit in Parc de Sa Riera. Free concerts run throughout the period, with major nights on the 17th, 18th and 19th across Palma’s main squares.
The celebrations continue with barbecues, bonfires, the Diada Ciclista, the Ciutat de Palma awards, the Trobada de Gegants, kite flying in Parc de la Mar, and finally a dramatic correfoc in Plaza de la Reina on January 26th, closing Mallorca’s winter festivities in a blaze of fire and tradition.
Cycling season kicks off
Cycling season starts with the first professional races of the 2026 season on the island’s highways and byways,
3rd running of the Challenge Mallorca Femenina 24-26 January
Trofeo Marratxi – Felanitx 24 Jan
Trofeo Llucmajor – 25 Jan
Trofeo Binissalem- Port d’Andratx — 26 Jan
Click here for details of the days racing, the teams, and the road closures.
….. and the chaps, 35th running of the Challenge Mallorca 28th Jan – 1st February.
Trofeo Calvia – 28 Jan
Trofeo Se Salines – Sant Jordi – 29 Jan
Trofeo Selva – Lluc – 30 Jan
Trofeo Andratx – Pollenca – 31 Jan
Trofeo Mallorca Fashion outlet – Paseo Palma – 1Feb
Click here for details of the days racing, the teams, and the road closures.
Copa de Reis – Port Pollença January 11th
A fun, brief swim in the nippy waters of Port Pollenca. Starts at 11, its a fiver donation to local charity ELA Baleares association, and finish with a hot chocolate and an ensaimada courtesy of the local residents association.
To register your place, click here.
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