On the eve of St. John's Day, June 23rd, Palma celebrates the solstice with the popular correfocs and a large fair where party, dance and music are the main ingredients. The summer taps to the door with a magical night which, as the ritual prescribes, ends with a purifying bath in the sea.
The shortest night of the year, the Nit de Sant Joan, is celebrated in numerous places of the Mediterranean, as in most of the Balearic Islands. On all these festivals the fire is the chief actor; it symbolizes the renewal and the beginning of a new life cycle. In Mallorca the festivals of Calvià, Deià, Sant Joan and Palma are particularly remarkable.
In Palma, the Parc de la Mar hosts workshops and activities for children and traditional dances. At around 23:00, the popular correfoc begin, during which various groups of devils, the colles de dimonis, follow the participants. There are also two enormous fire beats, the dragons of Sant Jordi (Saint George) and the Drac de Na Coca, which is associated with some legends of Palma. The night ends with a big batucada, a kind of samba, and the drums make the whole city rumble.
Midnight is the moment to experience the rituals of this magical night. Many people visit the nearby beaches to celebrate the ceremonial of the solstice, to enjoy the sea breeze or to take a bath with moonlight.
On the 24th, St. John's Day, the festival continues: a musical fair is held on the beach of Palma, with live music so that all people can enjoy the night by the sea.
The Pilar i Joan Miró Foundation, also in Palma, organizes an open doors day, with workshops and activities.
