30 Years of Porto Pi in Palma – a shopping center with stories

Porto Pi turns 30: Between shopping bags and mementos

On Saturday morning, as you pass by the Porto Pi Shopping Centre, you hear the usual mix: children's laughter from the play area, the scent of freshly ground coffee from a small café bar, and the quiet conversations of older regulars who have been heading to the same bench for years. This image has shaped the shopping centre in Palma over the last 30 years – and that is exactly what it's celebrating now.

A small exhibition full of personal stories

For the anniversary, Porto Pi has set up an exhibition that does not show sterile business statistics, but snapshots: yellowed photos, receipts, old brochures, and handwritten memories from staff and visitors. "Some stories are so small that they hardly stand out – and that's exactly what makes them real," says a young visitor as she smiles at a black-and-white photograph.

The exhibition appears deliberately simple. Displayed are photos of families at a movie night, staff portraits from the 90s, and anecdotes from shop owners who over the years have built their regular clientele here. Many of the texts come directly from the community; you can feel it when reading.

Change over stagnation

When the shopping centre opened its doors in 1995, it was one of the first of its kind on the island. Since then, a lot has changed: today there are around 130 stores, two additional floors and areas that would have been unimaginable earlier – from modern gastronomy corners to larger leisure offerings. At the same time, nostalgic things are not falling behind: some shop tenants have been there for decades.

The current numbers speak clearly: several million people visit the Porto Pi Shopping Centre every year. The venue's figures now list over eight million visitors per year – a figure you can feel in Palma, especially on sunny Sundays when the promenade is full of day-trippers.

Why this matters

Such anniversaries are more than just numbers. They show how places change, how memories are passed on, and how a shopping centre becomes a meeting place. Whether tourist, neighbor, or entrepreneur – many have their own Porto Pi story in their pocket. And that is perhaps the loveliest part of these 30 years.

If you're in Palma soon: stop by, flip through an old photo, and let yourself be surprised by a small local story. Sometimes that is exactly the reason you keep coming back.