Grape Stomping in Binissalem: White Coats, Red Feet, and 13 Tons of Fun

Grape Stomping in Binissalem: A Festival You Understand with Your Feet

Yesterday the old town was crowded — not only with curious onlookers but with grapes. About 13 tons of berries were stacked, ready for the annual footwork. Those who have been there know: this is less a show and more an exuberant dirt party with tradition.

Today it continues: Start at 5:00 PM on the Plaça Major (or something like that; I always stand a bit wrong and still find the way). Participants wear white outfits, roll up pant legs, and step into the purplish sea of must. Children press their noses to the barriers, grandmothers call encouragement, and somewhere a band plays off-key, but charming Mallorca songs.

Why the feet, and what happens afterwards?

The stomping is not an end in itself: the freshly produced must is processed in the traditional way. It is said that the juice returns next year as wine — a culinary subscription of sorts. Practically speaking: most of it is pressed on site, so from the colorful jumble in the end something tangible is created.

Scents mingle: sweet grape aroma, coffee fragrance from a stand, occasionally the grill. The air in such a late afternoon has a quality you usually only find on market days — heavy with conversation and laughter.

Join in, watch, get splashed

Anyone joining in doesn't need prior knowledge, just good cheer and clean socks (oh no, they won't stay clean anyway). There are small contests, plenty of laughter, and Mallorcan hospitality: after the stomping things are shared, tasted, and talked about.

For visitors this means arriving in time, because the best spots at the barrier are often blocked by families. Pack a change of clothes, and expect sticky shoes if you venture behind a house — after all, we are on an island that knows practical solutions.

Program and arrival

The whole program runs as part of the Vermar festival of the municipality — for those who want to dive deeper, the schedule is on the official page of the city administration. Parking can be tight; a small route through the village is particularly pretty: narrow lanes, pottery shops and cafés where you can sip pink grape juice later.

Conclusion: It's loud, sometimes chaotic, often sticky — and that's exactly why it's beautiful. If you come to Binissalem today at 5:00 PM, you will experience more than a footbath: you will experience community, tradition, and a few red soles that will probably remember tomorrow.

If you want photos: be quick. Grape stains are good memories, not long-lasting souvenirs.