Predator Blog · January 01, 2023
Sant Sebastian Palma: The biggest barbecue party in the world in 2023?
In 2023, too, the city of Palma commemorates its patron saint Sant Sebastian with a public holiday on 20 January. The party takes place the night before.
For Sant Sebastian, Palma becomes one huge barbecue station
I’m totally with you when you say: It’s healthier to cook sausages and meat on an electric grill. We know that by now. In the rarest of cases, though, grilling is only about that.
Whether with a few mates in the front yard or with thousands of strangers spread across an entire city. Either way, it usually turns into a party in the end. If you like, grilling is a celebration of community and the senses and, at least for me, inseparable from the searing heat, the charcoal, and the sizzle of meat juices—or better yet, the dousing beer—on what used to be a piece of cow.
Can you smell it? On the evening of 19 January 2023, the entire island capital Palma will smell exactly like that for Sant Sebastià.
Devils, dances, towers and the plague
Legend has it that Saint Sebastian—or at least parts of him—protected the citizens of Palma from the Black Death in the year 1523. More precisely, after the end of his earthly existence around the year 288, one of his arm bones is said to have been brought to Mallorca as a holy relic, in order to end the epidemic simply through its presence on the island. Strong bone!
Must have always dutifully drunk his milk, good old Sant Sebastian. By the way, his alleged bone can still be admired today in the museum of Palma’s cathedral La Seu.
Anyone who has already gotten to know the Spaniards, Mallorcans or people of Palma a little will probably not have missed how much people here love to celebrate “Fiesta”. Reasons to celebrate? There are many. And they’re secondary.
Much more important is the question: What can you put on, and how long can you stretch the festivities out?
It’s quite similar with Palma’s patron saint festival. Going into too much detail here would probably bore you. So just a tip: Take a look at the German weekly newspapers on the island at the beginning of next year—there’s usually a pretty good programme overview of what’s coming up.
SAN SEBASTIÀ 2023
from 19–29 January
This year, the celebrations for San Sebastià 2023 in Palma are something special, as there were restrictions in the previous two years due to the pandemic.
San Sebastià is synonymous with “Torrades”, concerts and get-togethers with family and friends. The festive atmosphere in the streets of the city invites you to celebrate this emblematic festival of the city. And this year, it’s in style. The event calendar offers many options for all tastes: exhibitions, art, theatre, sport, concerts, barbecues, typical dishes and, of course, the famous Gegants and Correfocs.
These last two activities are very characteristic and should not be missed. The “Trobada de gegants de Palma” takes place on 28 January from 9:45 a.m. on Carrer del Palau Reial. Various groups of Gegants from the island come together to show off these boisterous giants as they dance to the sounds of traditional music.
On the other hand, the Correfo is a killer spectacle with a grand finale. It’s a group of people who dress up as demons, breathe fire and put on a fireworks display as they make their way through various streets of the city. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Pont de la Riera and you shouldn’t miss it!
If you want to immerse yourself in this lively and unique festival, don’t hesitate to do so. Over these 10 days, the party is spread across various locations in the city:
- Plaza de la Cort
- Plaza del Olivar
- Plaza Major
- Plaza de la Reina
- Parc de la mar
- Plaza Rei Joan Carles I
Of the many events you can visit over more than a week, the night before the actual public holiday is the one that appeals to me most personally. The mere fact that the city council invites everyone who wants to come to one big barbecue party is already a great story.
That people who are complete strangers gather around charcoal, only to move on—after nerding out about the right way to prepare barbecue food—as new acquaintances to one of the free concerts in the old town, is a great way to celebrate “togetherness” even in a big city.
Palma feels like a single neighbourhood that, on this night, rises up out of its big-city anonymity and moves a little closer together.
The patron saint festival in honour of Saint Sant Sebastian—or at least his magical bones—is a no-brainer if you want to immerse yourself in the vibrant capital of the Balearics.