50th anniversary of the walk to Lluc

In July 1974, a group of friends decided to walk from Palma to Lluc to give thanks to Our Lady of Lluc, the Black Madonna, Mallorca’s patron.

The walk was to be from a bar, Güell, where there had been an accident; the daughter of the bar’s owner, Tolo Güell, could have been killed. Some thirty people took part in that first walk. It became an annual event that grew into what it now is - an island institution. Tolo passed away in March 2020, but the event lives on, and it is a major undertaking. Up to 50,000 people take part.

The logistics required for this number of people walking the 50 or so kilometres to Lluc are great. Financial support comes from the likes of CaixaBank and the Council of Mallorca. Registrations for the walk can be made up to 9pm on Saturday. There is a party atmosphere in the area where the bar used to be prior to the start of the walk.