Sunday the sixteenth it is this year for what is one of the great fiesta occasions. The demons are let loose, and this Sunday the Pollensa demons, Ca de Bou, will be joined by Muro's Dimonis de sa Pedrera. The correfoc fire-run isn't always apt in that demons can stay more or less in one place. But in Puerto Pollensa the demons live up to the description. The route is from the church square to La Gola; not a huge distance, but certainly far enough to genuinely qualify as a fire-run.
While you're enjoying the correfoc, evading sparks from the tridents and being terrorised by the occasional mask-wearing demon, just spare a thought for these great street entertainers; it must get pretty hot in those costumes. At least they can de-robe and watch the fireworks that follow, all this having been preceded by the flotilla with the images of the Virgin and Saint Peter.
In Can Picafort, meanwhile, it isn't fiesta but festival. The Reggaeton Beach Festival in Son Baulo has caused an almighty great fuss, opposition to it having been led by hoteliers near to the festival site. Santa Margalida's mayor, Joan Monjo, has insisted that the event will not harm the environment and that the site is not a protected area.
The hoteliers have been critical of the regional environment ministry because they had not received any response to points raised with regard to the environmental impact. However, the ministry did inform the town hall that the staging of the festival needed to be subject to an environmental impact assessment. The festival site is close to the Son Baulo torrent, which borders the Son Real finca. The first is a site of community interest (LIC) and the second is a ZEPA, area for the special protection of birdlife. The ministry pointed out that the law on acoustic contamination requires particular defence against noise in areas with high acoustic sensitivity, and both the torrent and the finca are such areas.
It hasn't only been the hotels by the site who have been complaining. The Can Picafort Hoteliers Association took up the case. It was this association which fired off letters to the environment ministry and to the Council of Mallorca's department of territory, under which comes the agency for the defence of territory. This agency is most commonly known for taking action against illegal building on non-urban land but its remit does cover the type of situation that has arisen in Can Picafort.
It is a situation which isn't satisfactory. The organisers have been on something of a charm offensive, highlighting the sustainability credentials of the festival and benefits for the local economy. They, to be fair, have been guided by the town hall, the mayor having rejected all the objections.
Coming to Alcudia, it's good to see that the splendid Via Fora has been revived in its full peripatetic glory. This series of dramatised representations of events in Alcudia's history was shelved because of the pandemic. Even last year, there was just the one venue - the amphitheatre near to the bullring. But the essence of Via Fora is that the five historical events are performed at different points along the walls. The audience can follow the actors and musicians from the Porta des Moll (market square) to the other points.
The first Via Fora was on Thursday. The next will be on July 27, and there will be two more in August - 10 and 31. It starts at 9pm. And just to mention that the fiestas for Sant Jaume started in Alcudia on Friday with a giants and batucada procession from Porta des Moll.
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