Plaça Major Full of Sparks: Sant Antoni in Sa Pobla Draws Around 12,000 People

Plaça Major Full of Sparks: Sant Antoni in Sa Pobla Draws Around 12,000 People

Music, pyrotechnics and neighborhood spirit – a winter evening that was more than just bangs and lights

On the evening of January 17, Sa Pobla's Plaça Major filled up. Not only did the lanterns cast their warm light on the cobbles, but also an audience looking for something that has become rarer in recent years: shared wonder. Organizers counted around 12,000 people at the so-called Nit Bruixa, the traditional 'Witches' Night', which was staged here with elaborate light and musical symbolism. The town has a lively events calendar beyond this night, including the Fira Coenta in Sa Pobla.

The show began amid the murmuring crowd and the occasional clink of wine glasses. Then the music started – the performance opened with 'Berghain' by Rosalía – and small flashes of fire traced lines in the sky. Pyrotechnics and carefully coordinated light sequences created an effect that will glow in the memories of those present for a long time. On the benches sat older residents in heavy coats, shoes damp from the evening, children with sparkling sticks, and people in the rows behind filming the scene on their phones for friends.

Political figures were also among the guests: Balearic Islands president Marga Prohens and island council president Llorenç Galmés attended the event. Their presence made it clear that Sant Antoni is not just a folk festival here, but an event with regional visibility.

The atmosphere in Sa Pobla was typically Mallorcan: makeshift food stalls released the scent of roasting, small groups debated animatedly outside the cafés on Carrer Major, and taxis wound through the corner of the plaza like patient couriers. Despite the large number of people, the close proximity felt more warm than hectic. An older man who comes to the Plaça regularly said dryly – and smiled as he spoke: 'So many people and yet you only hear laughter.'

Other towns on the island also celebrated: Pollença, Muro and Manacor had their own programs, and today is a local holiday in Sa Pobla and Manacor. This spread of festivities shows how traditions remain alive in the villages and how different communities add their own flavor; larger city events have also drawn crowds, for example Palma Shines: Thousands Celebrate the Start of the Christmas Season at Major Light Show.

Why is this good for Mallorca? Evenings like this bring the island to life outside the high season. Local businesses benefit from guests sitting in bars and bodegas, and artisans at market stalls sell regional handicrafts. Events on this scale are illustrated by other fairs such as the Premiere of the Fira del Variat in Pere Garau, which attracted large crowds.

A small everyday observation: if you walk through Sa Pobla the next morning, you won't find anything exotic, just the traces of a well-run village festival – a bit of ash in a corner, a single child's shoe beside the fountain wall, but also street sweepers working surprisingly calmly and efficiently. That fits the island: celebrations are taken seriously here, and the cleanup afterward is just as careful.

Outlook and suggestions: to make such festivals even more pleasant and sustainable in the future, sensible steps are possible without changing their character – better information for visitors in advance, additional waste bins at key points, and improved coordination of night buses so return trips are quieter and safer. All of this is easy to organize and increases comfort without taking away the evening's warmth.

The Nit Bruixa in Sa Pobla showed on that January evening that traditions are not just the past. They can be meeting places for neighbors and tourists looking for something real. And at the end of the night, when the lights faded and the Plaça returned to being the Plaça, there was this quiet promise: Mallorca can celebrate – and remain approachable.

Date: 17.01.2026. Places with their own celebrations: Pollença, Muro, Manacor. Attendees: Balearic Islands president Marga Prohens, island council president Llorenç Galmés.