Manacor Festes 2026: Sant Jaume in Mallorca's Second City

The Manacor Festes 2026 are just around the corner: from 17 to 25 July, Mallorca's second-largest city celebrates its Festes de Sant Jaume in honour of the town's patron saint. While tourists mostly know Manacor for its pearl factories or Rafael Nadal, during these nine days the city shows its true face: horse races, traditional costume parades, revetlles on the Placa Ramon Llull, and traditions you will only find here. Our guide to culture and traditions on Mallorca shows how these local customs spread across the whole island.

What are the Festes de Sant Jaume in Manacor?

The Festes de Sant Jaume are Manacor's patron saint festival in honour of the apostle James (Sant Jaume), whose name day is celebrated on 25 July. Organised by the Obreria de Sant Jaume with support from the town hall, the festes combine religious ceremonies, equestrian traditions, folk dancing, and modern concerts into a multi-day town festival.

With around 45,000 inhabitants, Manacor is the second-largest city on the island after Palma and the hub of the east. The festival is correspondingly big: unlike small village fiestas, the programme spreads across several squares and draws visitors from the whole comarca. Our article on the fiestas patronales on Mallorca explains why these town festivals matter so much for life on the island.

Dates and programme of the Manacor Festes 2026

The official programme was presented on 14 July 2026 in the Torre del Palau. The key dates at a glance:

• Friday, 17 July: opening with the handover of the Estendard (festival banner, carried in 2026 by Club Volei Manacor), the Crida a la Festa by Margalida Rossello Riera, and the parade of the Mulassa followed by a Ball de Bot
• Festival week: Replec de Joies, Corregudes des Cos (traditional foot races), the 18th Milla Ciutat de Manacor, the 9th Mostra de Vins Casolans (homemade wine fair), open-air cinema, children's workshops, and the Fira Nocturna de Sant Jaume
• Friday, 24 July: big revetlla on the Placa Ramon Llull with Orquestra Oasis, VAL-9, and Gas Butano
• Saturday, 25 July (Sant Jaume): solemn ofici in the church, followed by the Encamisada, Correr l'Anell, and the closing revetlla with La Decada Prodigiosa and DJ Titi

You can find the full programme with all times on the official site of the Ajuntament de Manacor, including the programme booklet as a PDF.

Traditions: Correr l'Anell, Encamisada, and en Jaumet i na Jaumeta

What sets the Manacor Festes 2026 apart from other summer festivals are three traditions deeply rooted in the town's history:

Correr l'Anell is a historic equestrian game: riders at full gallop try to spear a suspended ring with a rod. In 2026 the spectacle returns to its traditional venue, the Avinguda de Baix des Cos. The custom goes back to medieval equestrian games and can hardly be seen anywhere on Mallorca outside Manacor these days.

The Encamisada is the evening parade on the eve of the festival and on the feast day itself: riders and decorated carts move through the town centre, accompanied by music and spectators lining the streets.

En Jaumet i na Jaumeta are the two festival figures whose symbolic wedding has become a crowd favourite since it was introduced. It is followed directly by the Festa de les Canyes, one of the best-attended events on the programme.

On top of that come elements you may know from other Mallorcan festivals: Ball de Bot on the squares, giant figures, brass bands, and fireworks to close. For an overview of all the big festivals of the summer, see our calendar of festivals and events 2026.

Is entry to the Festes de Sant Jaume free? Yes, practically all events of the Festes de Sant Jaume are free to attend, including the two revetlles with live bands. Only a few offerings, such as tastings at the Mostra de Vins Casolans, cost a small fee.

Getting to Manacor

Manacor lies in the east of the island, around 50 kilometres from Palma, and is better connected than most festival towns:

By train: The SFM T3 line links Palma directly with Manacor via Inca and Sineu. The journey takes about 65 minutes, and the station is just a few minutes' walk from the centre. On revetlla evenings in particular, the train is the most relaxed option. Timetables are available from TIB - Transport de les Illes Balears.

By car: Take the Ma-15 from Palma heading east. On the main days the car parks in the centre fill up quickly; you are more likely to find a spot on the edge of town.

Manacor beyond the festes

The festes are a good excuse to get to know this often underrated city. Manacor is Mallorca's furniture and pearl town, home to the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience, and its Monday market is one of the largest weekly markets on the island. The church of Nostra Senyora dels Dolors with its striking tower dominates the old town.

Manacor's festival calendar also offers more than July: in January the Sant Antoni bonfires are among the most intense on the island, from late May to mid-June the Fires i Festes de Primavera bring parades and the Setmana Cultural del Vi, and in summer the coastal towns of Porto Cristo (Festes del Carme) and s'Illot celebrate their own festivals. To see what else is happening on the island this summer, read Mallorca Summer 2026: Festivals and Events.

Conclusion

From 17 to 25 July, the Manacor Festes 2026 offer a rare mix of equestrian tradition, folk culture, and summer festival, free of charge and right in the middle of everyday life in Mallorca's second-largest city. Correr l'Anell and the Encamisada barely exist in this form anywhere else on the island. Thanks to the train connection from Palma, visiting without a car is easy. If you are looking for the real Mallorca beyond beaches and pearl shops, mark 25 July in your calendar.