With twelve grapes, drag queens and hits: Palma's Plaça de Cort welcomes 2026

With twelve grapes, drag queens and hits: Palma's Plaça de Cort welcomes 2026

Bundled up, close together and full of music — that's how the year began in the old town

The Plaça de Cort in Palma was not an empty square with cobblestones on this New Year's Eve, but a small theatre full of voices, jacket ruffles and phone cameras. About 500 people had gathered, some wearing hats, some with children in hand; now and then the distant sound of traffic from Passeig Mallorca could be heard, otherwise there was only the murmur of voices and the occasional crackle of fireworks.

Before midnight the air filled with a mix of anticipation and the usual excitement: street vendors offered mulled-wine-like drinks, small treats and hats, a few tourists photographed the town hall façade, and families used the quarter-hours to keep bottles of champagne chilled. As the town-hall bell counted the quarter-hours, a mother laughed because her son observed the tradition with a very serious face: one grape for each bell strike, twelve in total, to bring luck in the new year (Grape Stomping in Binissalem).

The celebration was accompanied by a colourful mix on stage: a drag queen provided laughs and applause with spirited performances, while two DJs — one of them known from the local scene — heated up the mood with hits from different decades. When the last grape had been swallowed and the bell struck twelve, applause broke out, fireworks sizzled into the sky and phones flashed like small lighthouses.

Local police officers and Red Cross volunteers patrolled calmly through the crowd. It remained a cheerful crush; no major incidents were reported. For many attendees that was reassuring: a place where people draw together without feeling out of control (Where should the 2026 Christmas lights switch-on be held?).

A visitor attending such a square celebration for the first time had secured a front-row vantage point early and was visibly moved by the atmosphere. Her nine-year-old son later said quietly that he had many wishes — but they belong in the heart, she told him with a laugh.

A few hundred metres away other DJs kept the music going, and the Plaça de la Reina was also lively. Some guests moved on into the old town or to a hotel terrace after the official part, where the fireworks could be seen from another perspective. Vendors packed up their goods little by little; in the morning one would find traces of confetti and paper remnants, but in that moment the warmth of the shared experience prevailed.

Such nights show how important public squares are for communal life. They are meeting places where traditions like the twelve grapes remain alive and new elements — exuberant shows, diverse music styles, international voices — are added. For Palma this means: it succeeds in bringing locals and visitors together on one evening, without compromising safety and without spoiling the atmosphere.

The simple lesson for the new year remains: nurture more shared spaces, cherish small customs and enjoy the mix of the familiar and the new. If you stroll through the old town on a cooler evening you might still hear faint sounds and see lights on roof terraces. That may not sound spectacular, but that's exactly what makes Palma — a vibrant, friendly place where people begin together.

Looking ahead: If you missed the celebration, don't be sad. In the coming weeks villages and towns across Mallorca will host more small festivals and encounters — opportunities to experience again the entertaining mix of tradition, music and neighbourhood (Palma starts Christmas program with over 300 events).