16 September, wine tasting: Vins d'Arreu de Mallorca at Can Gelabert at 9pm. Sign up today at the local town hall. Price 4 euros. Maximum of 50 people.
17 September:the men and women of the wine harvest all dressed in national costume accompanied by music bands and Majorcan bagpipe players congregate outside the town hall at 8pm.
18 September: at 9am, the Vermar cycling challenge will leave from Plaça de l'Eglesia to go to Biniagual for an outdoor lunch. 'At 12 noon, those taking part in the grape throwing contest congregate outside the town hall prior to battle. ' At 2pm, an outdoor lunch held by the grape treaders in the Plaça de l'Eglesia. Tickets, 7 euros sold by the town hall until 17th September..
19 September: 10.30am homage to the elderly outside the town hall. Music bands and giant Majorcan figures parade followed by Mass at 11am.
* 5.30pm grape treading competition in Plaça de l'Eglesia.
20 September: 9.30pm Majorcan story-telling competition at municipal theatre.
21 September: 7.30pm in the grounds of the secondary school Escola Graduada; international folk dancing.
22 September: 9.30pm International Show Cooking, at the Escola Graduada.
23 September: 9pm. Traditional Vermar noodle supper at Can Arabi with live music.
25 September: Saturday at 01.30am Running with fire spectacle in Plaça de l'Eglesia ending with mass drumming event. ' 5pm: Float competition in Passeig des Born with music bands and pop groups'Eixam.
26 September: 10.15am Majorcan bagpipe players accompany local authorities, grape treaders and giant figures. ' 7pm: Open air dance in Plaça de l'Esglesia with traditional Majorcan dancers, followed by a party.
STAFF REPORTER
THE annual grape harvest and wine festival, locally known as the Vermar has officially started in Binissalem with a programme of events which will run through to the climax of the celebrations on 26th September.
Young men and women dressed in folkloric Majorcan costumes were a colourful backdrop to the presentation of the event which was given yesterday at Can Corneta in Binissalem.
There are a number of rustic traditions associated with the Vermar including a grape battle, a competition of floats - each cart and its occupants representing a different theme from local legend, Majorcan story telling contests known as glossers, and parades of bagpipe players accompanied by pipes and drums.
Not forgetting of course, the famous grape treading festival when local people dress in white and enter the vats of grapes to physically stamp the juice out of the fruit, as had been done for centuries until the introduction of modern machinery.
The Mayor of Binissalem, Jeroni Salom, is anxious to avoid repeats of street drinking parties which were a problem during the recent Sant Jaume festivals. He is arranging an alcohol consumption awareness campaign prior to introducing legislation which will give police powers to break up revelling.
The harvest is currently a fortnight behind schedule due to a summer which, believe it or not, has been cooler than usual. So far 350'000 kilos of grapes have been picked, just 13 percent of the total harvested in Binissalem in 2009.
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