A quieter New Year

The council said that they did ring but the bells were quieter than normal

“The New Year celebrations were certainly quieter than usual in Mallorca not helped by the weather....” | M.A. CAÑELLAS

Jason MoorePalma03/01/2022 09:47

A rather odd start to the New Year in Mallorca after a rather odd year. Thick fog rather muted the celebrations in some areas and the cold weather, which had not been forecast, kept people off the streets. It was a tale of woe for local restaurants as well.

Many had been expecting a full house but the sudden rise in Covid cases led to a wave of cancellations. One restaurant owner told me that two-thirds of their bookings had cancelled. The Plaza Cort in Palma, usually full of New Year revellers, was half empty after the police urged people to stay away. Those few people who had gathered were left rather speechless as the town hall bells, which usually ring in the New Year, fell silent.

The council said that they did ring but the bells were quieter than normal. Perhaps the silence in the Plaza Cort was the right note for a year which many will want to forget. Even Spanish TV couldn´t keep Covid at bay with state broadcaster TVE having to change their New Year line-up after a key presenter tested positive for Covid.

Extra police were on duty across Palma and there were some incidents but it was certainly a quiet end to 2021. There had been fears that the Balearic government would be introducing new restrictions but instead they kept faith in the Covid passport. The next big party is the Three Kings parade on Wednesday.

At the moment it is going ahead in Palma but other areas have already cancelled their parades because of Covid fears. It would be a major blow if the parade was cancelled in Palma. So 2021 ended with a thick fog let us hope that 2022 ends with some sunshine.