Fiestas
Sant Antoni and Sant Sebastià in Mallorca: a town-by-town guide to the bonfires
From 16 to 20 January, Mallorca lights bonfires, lets its dimonis out and grills sausages in the street. Where to go each night, at what time and what to know.
There is a week in January when Mallorca smells of wood smoke. It starts on the night of the 16th, the eve of Sant Antoni, when towns light bonfires in their squares, the dimonis (devils) dance in front of the church and people gather round the fire to grill sobrasada, botifarró and llonganissa. It ends on the 20th, the day of Sant Sebastià, Palma's patron saint, after a night of concerts and street barbecues all over the old town.
Saint Anthony the Abbot is the protector of animals, and his fiesta mixes the religious with the pagan: the completes (evening prayer) in church, the struggle between the saint and the devils, the foguerons (bonfires), the gloses (improvised verses) to the beat of the ximbomba drum and, on the 17th, the beneïdes, the blessing of animals, with floats, horses and pets. In 2027, 16 January falls on a Saturday: the big night is a weekend night, so expect crowds.
Sa Pobla: the most intense
If you can only go to one town, make it Sa Pobla: nowhere lives Sant Antoni with such devotion. On the afternoon of the 16th the devil comes out with the saint and the singers; at 20:00 there are completes in the church and then the Revetla begins, with the devils' dance and a fire-and-light show in the Plaça Major (around 21:45 in the 2026 programme). Then bonfires all over town, each with its barbecue, its ximbombes and its gloses.
On the afternoon of the 17th the beneïdes parade with floats, and the saint's dormida (the putting to sleep) closes the fiesta. Try the espinagades, eel and spinach pasties that Sa Pobla eats these days.
Next: Saturday 16 JanuarySant Antoni in Sa PoblaOpen in the app Artà: the one that starts at dawn
Artà is the earliest riser. On the 16th, around 9:00, its two devils, Ferriol and Mosca, leave the house of one of the obrers (the neighbours who run the fiesta), light the fuse and dance for the first time. They spend the morning dancing round the school, the care home and the shops, with the Sant Antoni music playing in the streets. In the evening, around 19:00, there are completes, and at 19:30 the bonfires are lit. At midday on the 17th, the beneïdes.
What makes Artà special is the morning of the 16th. That day some central streets are closed and the bus stop moves to the Son Servera road.
Manacor: bonfires with satire
In Manacor, Sant Antoni is the fiesta of the year. At midday on the 16th the devils dance in front of the town hall; in the evening comes the colcada (the parade on horseback), the completes at the church of Nostra Senyora dels Dolors and, at 20:00, the first bonfire is lit in front of the Rectoria. From then on the Revetla spreads through the streets: in 2025, 17 bonfires competed, many with satirical figures about local goings-on.
The fun is walking from one to the next. On the 17th at 11:00 the beneïdes come out, and at night the devils say goodbye with their last dance in the plaça de sa Bassa.
Muro: the devil chase
In Muro the devils do their rounds from early on the 16th and, in the afternoon, comes the encalçadimonis: the devils search the town for Sant Antoni. At 20:00 the Saig Major opens the fiesta from the town hall balcony, followed by the tune and the dance and, around 20:45, the bonfires are lit, with a fire run and barbecues in front of the town hall.
The beneïdes on the afternoon of the 17th, with the banner and the old image of the saint, pets and farm animals, are among the most beautiful on the island. Arrive before 20:00 to get a spot in the square and park on the outskirts.
Next: Saturday 16 JanuarySant Antoni in MuroOpen in the app Pollença: the pine of Ternelles
On the 17th Pollença keeps a tradition documented since 1873. A group of locals climbs up to the Ternelles estate, fells a pine of about 21 metres, strips its bark and carries it on their shoulders to the Plaça Vella, where it is planted. Then it is greased and young people try to climb to the top, where a basket with a rooster awaits: whoever reaches it wins the glory of the year.
On the eve, at 21:00, the bonfires are lit with the devils, and on the morning of the 17th come the beneïdes. Port de Pollença has its own pine, brought from Formentor. The climbing attempts go on into the night: wear comfortable shoes, the square fills up and you stand the whole time.
Palma: the Revetla de Sant Sebastià
Three days later it is Palma's turn. On the night of the 19th, the eve of Sant Sebastià, the old town becomes a street party: free concerts in several squares at once (Plaça Major, Cort, Plaça d'Espanya…), each with its own style, and bonfires and public grills everywhere to cook whatever meat you bring. In 2025 more than 50,000 people came out and the city set up 400 public grills. In 2026 it was called off for official mourning; it is a yearly fiesta.
The 20th is a public holiday in Palma. Buy your meat in the afternoon at a corner shop, grab a spot at a grill early and go by bus or on foot: the centre is closed to traffic.
Next: Tuesday 19 JanuarySant Sebastià Night in PalmaOpen in the app Pollença again: els cavallets
Pollença's patron saint is Sant Sebastià too. On the 20th at nightfall the procession sets out with the saint's image and the banner, held high, accompanied by els cavallets: dancers with cardboard hobby horses at their waist. Here they are danced by adults, whereas elsewhere on the island they are usually children. If it rains, the dance moves inside the church. It is a neighbours' fiesta, with no stages: get close before 19:00.
Before you go
The times in this guide come from the 2026 programmes: each town hall publishes the 2027 one in late December or early January, so check it before you set off. Park at the edge of town and walk: the centres are closed to traffic. January nights are around 8 °C, so wrap up in clothes that can smell of smoke. And if you are drinking, leave the car: take the bus or a taxi.
