Sant Joan and Sant Pere: summer begins in Port de Sóller

If you are planning to visit Port de Sóller at the end of June, you will have the chance to discover two of the port’s most special and traditional celebrations: the night of Sant Joan and the Sant Pere festivities. Two deeply rooted occasions that reflect the seafaring character of this town in the Serra de Tramuntana and that bring residents and visitors together each year to welcome the summer.

Although they are not so well known among visitors to the island, both let you see Port de Sóller from a different angle, enjoying its atmosphere, its customs and its close bond with the sea. So if you are in the Sóller valley on those dates, we recommend getting to know them at close quarters.

The night of Sant Joan

The eve of Sant Joan. Every 23 June, Port de Sóller welcomes the summer with one of the most magical celebrations of the year. Although the festival is especially well known elsewhere in the Mediterranean, particularly on the neighbouring island of Menorca, here too it is lived with a unique atmosphere that brings locals and visitors together by the sea.

As evening falls, the beaches around the bay fill with small bonfires and candles that light up the shoreline while family and friends gather to share a drink facing the sea. The sunset, the sound of the waves and the landscape of the bay create the perfect setting for a proper Mediterranean night. As the hours pass, the celebration continues with music and the traditional performances of the Esclatabutzes, the local troupe of devils who, with fire and drums, fill the beach with colour and atmosphere to welcome the summer. It is a spectacle that forms part of one of the most popular traditions in the Sóller valley and that reflects a historical and cultural inheritance carried on from one generation to the next. If you would like to experience it, you can get to Port de Sóller by tram or by taxi. Our recommendation is to take one of the last trams of the day, so you can enjoy the ride and see the bay lit up by the bonfires, a sight you can only catch once a year.

Sant Pere in Port de Sóller

The Sant Pere festivities hold a very special place in the hearts of the people of Port de Sóller. That is hardly surprising, as the celebration honours the patron saint of fishermen and recalls the deep bond the port has kept with the sea for generations. The fishing tradition is still part of the port’s identity, and these festivities are the best chance to discover it at first hand.

Although Sant Pere’s day falls on 29 June, the programme runs over several days, turning the seafaring neighbourhood of Santa Catalina and the port promenade into the setting for a wide range of activities for all ages. Over these days you can enjoy cultural, sporting and family events, as well as musical performances, exhibitions and various popular gatherings that bring every corner of the port to life.

The celebrations begin with the traditional pregón, the opening address that officially starts the festivities, accompanied by music and a festive atmosphere that carries down to the seafront. From that moment on, there are several days in which popular culture and seafaring traditions take centre stage.

Over the weekend there are also children’s activities, traditional games, local tournaments, sporting events and an exhibition of old photographs dedicated to the people of Port de Sóller, a fine opportunity to see what seafaring life was like for earlier generations and to discover part of the town’s history.

One of the most moving moments comes with the commemorative events dedicated to Sant Pere. The mass in honour of the patron saint of fishermen and the traditional sea procession around the bay bring together large numbers of locals and visitors each year in a tribute that reflects Port de Sóller’s close relationship with the sea. It is one of the most representative events of the whole programme and an experience we recommend seeing. The programme continues with other cultural and festive events, among them activities connected with local heritage, popular celebrations and live music late into the night. Anyone who takes the chance to walk around Santa Catalina will discover one of the most charming neighbourhoods in the municipality, wander its streets beside the sea and enjoy the atmosphere of these special days.

These are days on which you can discover the port in a way you otherwise could not, and experience the Sant Pere festivities from the inside: its traditions, its history, its culture and its people.

Deià and Esporles, an alternative

If during your stay you would like to keep discovering the traditions of the Serra de Tramuntana, both Deià and Esporles also hold special programmes around these dates. For Sant Joan, the municipality of Deià organises various cultural and musical events to welcome the summer, making it an excellent alternative for getting to know another of the most emblematic villages on the Mallorcan coast through its patron saint celebrations, the Sant Joan festivities. Esporles, for its part, also holds Sant Pere festivities with a range of popular events that keep the customs of this Serra de Tramuntana town alive. A perfect chance to discover another corner of northern Mallorca.

Whichever plan you choose, visiting Port de Sóller at the end of June lets you discover far more than its landscapes. It is a rare chance to spend a few days that capture the essence of the Mediterranean and invite you to take it in through all your senses.

If you are staying at the Alcázar Hotel Sóller and would like more information about these celebrations or any other local activity taking place during your stay, do ask our reception team, who will be delighted to help.