Nadal 2026/2027
22 November 2026 to 6 January 2027
Between 8 December and 6 January, everyday life on Mallorca changes: public offices close, large shops open on selected Sundays and holidays, schools take a two-week break, and Palma celebrates with markets, nativity scenes and the Three Kings (Reyes Magos). This page collects what you need to know as a resident during this time.
31 December and 1 January have their own rules, from the Festa de l'Estendard to getting home after the midnight bells: New Year's Eve in Mallorca.
Coming up next: Fira de Nadal i dels Reis in Palma, 21 November 2026, in 16 days
Dates last checked: 10 October 2026. Entries marked "not yet confirmed" follow the pattern of previous years. We replace them as soon as the official calendars and programmes are published.
In the Balearic Islands, public holidays and shop opening rules are two separate things. Every year the regional government (Govern) approves ten Sundays and holidays on which large shops may also open. On such a day the supermarket may be open, but the public office, the bank and your GP's practice are not. That is why the table lists each of them on its own line.
Mon 7 Dec
Monday before the Inmaculada
Not a holiday
Not a holiday, but many people take the day off as a bridge to 8 December. Appointments at public offices and practices are scarce.
Tue 8 Dec
Inmaculada Concepción
National holiday
National holiday.
Sun 20 Dec
Shop-opening Sunday
Not a holiday
One of the ten approved shop-opening days in 2026 in the Balearic Islands.
Thu 24 Dec
Nochebuena, Christmas Eve
Not a holiday
Not a holiday. Supermarkets close early, public offices usually only work in the morning.
Fri 25 Dec
Navidad, Christmas Day
National holiday
National holiday.
Sat 26 Dec
Segona Festa de Nadal (Sant Esteve)
Regional holiday (Balearic Islands)
Regional holiday in the Balearic Islands and also a shop-opening day.
Mon 28 Dec
Día de los Inocentes
Not a holiday
Not a holiday. Spain's day of pranks, so read news published on this day with caution.
Thu 31 Dec
Nochevieja, New Year's Eve
Not a holiday
Not a holiday, but reduced hours from the afternoon.
Fri 1 Jan
Any Nou, New Year's Day
National holiday
National holiday, confirmed in the 2027 holiday calendar.
Sun 3 Jan
Shop-opening Sunday before Reis
Not a holiday
One of the ten shop-opening days in 2027 in the Balearic Islands, decided on 7 October 2026. Municipalities may swap up to two of these days for a local festival.
Wed 6 Jan
Reis, Three Kings' Day
National holiday
Public holiday, confirmed in the 2027 holiday calendar. It is not one of the shop-opening days in 2027.
What a particular supermarket chain does on a shop-opening day is up to the chain and changes from year to year. Check its store finder shortly beforehand. Pharmacies run an emergency service (farmacia de guardia) on every public holiday, and the pharmacy on duty is posted on every pharmacy door. On top of this come the two local holidays of your municipality, which each municipality sets itself every year.
Three public holidays fall in December: the Inmaculada Concepción on Tuesday, 8 December, Christmas Day (Navidad) on Friday, 25 December, and the Segona Festa de Nadal (Sant Esteve) on Saturday, 26 December. 26 December is a regional holiday in the Balearic Islands. In many other autonomous communities of Spain it is not, which is why you will find contradictory information online. Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución) on 6 December falls on a Sunday in 2026 and is not moved to another day in the Balearic Islands.
A public holiday does not automatically mean everything is closed here: 20 and 26 December 2026 are on the list of the ten shop-opening days in the Balearic Islands. Public offices, banks and doctors' practices still stay closed on the 26th.
January brings New Year's Day on Friday, 1 January, and Reis (Three Kings) on Wednesday, 6 January. Both are in the 2027 holiday calendar, which the Govern approved in March 2026 and published in the Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears. Of the shop-opening days in 2027, only Sunday, 3 January, falls within the season; 6 January is not one of them. All information is based on the holiday calendar of the Govern de les Illes Balears. All public holidays of the year, including the rules for Sundays and local holidays, are in the article Public holidays on Mallorca, and next year's dates are in Public holidays on Mallorca 2027.
Palma's main market is the Fira de Nadal i dels Reis on Plaça Major, the Rambla and in the Parc de ses Estacions. It is free to enter and open until Three Kings' Day. The market at the Poble Espanyol is the only one that charges admission, which is worth knowing before you go with children. In 2026 the season starts on Saturday, 21 November, with the switching on of the Christmas lights in Parc de la Mar. For this season the city has also announced a Parc de Nadal there, with around 60 stalls and an ice rink.
Plaça Major, La Rambla and Parc de ses Estacions (Palma)
Palma's Christmas market is spread across Plaça Major, La Rambla and Parc de ses Estacions. Locations, opening hours, getting there and when it gets busy.
21 November to 6 January 2027 (not yet confirmed) · Free entry
Poble Espanyol, Palma (Palma)
Unlike the city market, the Christmas market at the Poble Espanyol charges admission. Opening hours, prices and what awaits you inside the walls.
5 December to 4 January 2027 (not yet confirmed) · Paid entry
Parc de la Mar, below the cathedral (Palma)
The Christmas lights switch-on marks the start of the season in Palma. In 2026 on Saturday, 21 November, for the first time in Parc de la Mar.
21 November 2026 (not yet confirmed) · Free entry
Outside Palma, Sóller, Pollença and Alcúdia, among others, have their own smaller markets, usually on individual Advent weekends. The municipalities announce the dates at short notice on their websites and channels.
Confirmed dates by email
The market dates are provisional until Palma City Council publishes its programme, usually at the end of October. Sign up and we will send you the confirmed dates as soon as they are fixed.
On the evening of 24 December, the Cant de la Sibil·la is sung during Midnight Mass in Palma Cathedral. It is a medieval chant listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The cathedral announces the exact time of the Mass anew each year, and it pays to arrive early. The Sibil·la is also sung in many village churches, where it is less crowded. From 8 December, nativity scenes (Betlems) are set up in churches, in Palma City Hall and on squares, and some municipalities also stage living nativity scenes.
La Seu Cathedral (Palma)
UNESCO World Heritage on Christmas Eve: the medieval Song of the Sibyl is performed on 24 December at Midnight Mass in Palma Cathedral.
24 December 2026 · Free entry
City Hall (Cort), cathedral and churches in Palma, living nativity scenes in several municipalities (Island-wide)
Between 8 December and 6 January, nativity scenes go on display in Palma and in many villages. Where to see them and what living nativity scenes are.
8 December to 6 January 2027 (not yet confirmed) · Free entry
In Spain, the Three Kings bring the presents, in the night before 6 January. On the evening of 5 January they arrive in Palma by boat at the Moll Vell and parade through the city in the Cabalgata, most recently from around 6 pm, with a reception at Plaça de Cort at around 8:30 pm. Almost every larger municipality has its own parade. 6 January is a public holiday, and the Roscón de Reyes is served.
Moll Vell and city centre of Palma (Palma)
The Three Kings arrive by boat at the Moll Vell on 5 January and parade through Palma in the Cavalcada. Route, times and where to stand with small children.
5 to 6 January 2027 (not yet confirmed) · Free entry
Old town of Alcúdia (North)
On the evening of 5 January the Three Kings also parade through Alcúdia. Smaller and more relaxed than in Palma, with sweets for the children.
5 January 2027 (not yet confirmed) · Free entry
November and December are the time of the Matances, the traditional home pig slaughter. It is a family affair tied to the village, not a public festival, but its results shape the winter: sobrassada, botifarró and camaiot. At Christmas the Porcella, roast suckling pig, is served, along with turrón, neules and polvorones.
Father Christmas (Papa Noel) has made it to the island, but for children the more important gift-giving is still that of the Reis on 6 January. How families celebrate the days from 24 December to Three Kings' Day is described in our post Christmas on Mallorca: traditions and customs.
In the 2026/2027 school year, the Christmas holidays at schools in the Balearic Islands run from 23 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, both days included. The first school day afterwards is Thursday, 7 January. Many municipalities offer childcare programmes during the holidays, and registration often closes as early as the end of November. International schools partly follow their own calendar, so ask them directly. More on schools and childcare in the article Kindergarten and school.
In Palma, EMAYA collects old Christmas trees free of charge. You can book a collection on the free number 900 724 000, until the end of January at the latest. Trees in good condition are replanted. Alternatively, the recycling points in Son Castelló and Sant Jordi accept trees. Collection times change over the holidays, and EMAYA publishes the changes shortly beforehand each year. Outside Palma, your municipality's rules apply. Everything about separating your rubbish is in the article Waste separation and recycling.
For bulky waste, clearances and anything that does not fit in the bin:
Suitable providers in the directory:
Shipments from the mainland and from abroad take noticeably longer in December, and the island location adds to that. Parcels from Switzerland go through customs and take the longest. Correos and the parcel services publish the deadlines for Christmas shipments anew each year, so do not rely on previous years. If nobody is home, the parcel usually ends up at the post office or a parcel shop and is only kept there for a limited time. How sending and receiving works on the island is explained in the article International shipping to and from Mallorca.
The Lotería de Navidad is drawn on 22 December, broadcast live on TV for hours, with the numbers sung out. Most people do not play with a whole ticket but with shares (participaciones), often through a club, their local bar or their employer. The El Niño draw follows on 6 January. Important for residents: winnings above a tax-free allowance are taxable, and the tax is withheld when the prize is paid out. If you hold a participación from someone else, keep the receipt. The current rules are published by the Agencia Tributaria.
If you want a Porcella or special fish, order it in advance from the butcher or at the market, not on 23 December. The same goes for the Roscón on 6 January at the bakery: whoever finds the figurine is in luck, whoever finds the bean pays for the cake. Weekly markets are sometimes cancelled or moved over the holidays. More in the article Shopping on Mallorca.
The Christmas season brings together cold weather, visitors, time away and year-end deadlines. For each of these, the directory lists suitable providers.
The first real cold snap usually comes in December, and that is when you find out whether the air conditioning really heats. Many houses are built for heat, not for cold. What is worth doing in a flat or a finca is covered in the post Heating in Mallorca.
Suitable providers in the directory:
Family and friends travel over for the holidays. The flat or holiday home needs to be prepared, and arriving with luggage and children on 23 December needs a plan for getting from the airport. You can pre-book an airport transfer on Booking.com (affiliate link) at a fixed price, and the driver waits if the flight is late. If there is not enough room at home, you can find accommodation in Palma on Booking.com (affiliate link).
Suitable providers in the directory:
If you travel between 20 December and 7 January, you leave behind your house, garden and often pets too. Regular checks, someone to look after the plants and care for your dog or cat make the trip more relaxed.
Suitable providers in the directory:
The end of the year is when a gestoría or a tax adviser is most worthwhile. The fourth-quarter returns are due in January, and if you only start looking for an adviser then, you are looking at the worst possible time. The information return on assets abroad (Modelo 720) is due in the first quarter, so it is best to gather the documents in December. Deadlines and amounts change every year: check them with the Agencia Tributaria or your adviser. Background information is in the sections Money and law and Business.
Suitable providers in the directory:
Our concierge service connects you with the right provider - fast, reliable and in German.
Yes. 26 December (Segona Festa de Nadal or Sant Esteve) is a regional holiday in the Balearic Islands. In many other regions of Spain it is not, hence the contradictory information online. In 2026 it is also a shop-opening day, so large shops may open, while public offices, banks and doctors' practices stay closed.
Supermarkets are closed on 25 December. On 24 and 31 December they close earlier than usual. On 20 and 26 December 2026 large shops may open, because both days are on the list of shop-opening days in the Balearic Islands. Whether a particular branch opens is up to the chain.
8 December (Inmaculada), 25 December (Navidad) and 26 December (Segona Festa de Nadal), plus 1 and 6 January 2027. 6 December falls on a Sunday in 2026 and is not moved to another day in the Balearic Islands. The January dates are in the 2027 holiday calendar, which the Govern published in the BOIB in March 2026.
In the 2026/2027 school year, from 23 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, both days included. Classes start again on Thursday, 7 January 2027. International schools partly have their own holiday dates.
In the 2025/2026 season, the Fira de Nadal i dels Reis ran from 22 November to 7 January, daily from about 10 am to 9 pm, on Plaça Major, the Rambla and in the Parc de ses Estacions. Palma City Council usually publishes the dates for 2026/2027 at the end of October. Until then they are considered not confirmed. New for 2026/2027 is the Parc de Nadal in Parc de la Mar, announced from 21 November to 6 January.
Yes. In the 2025/2026 season it cost 10 EUR for adults, and children under 12 got in free. It was open daily from 12:30 pm to 11 pm. The prices for 2026/2027 have not been set yet.
On the evening of 24 December during Midnight Mass. The cathedral announces the exact time anew each year. Entry is free and seats are limited, so it is worth arriving well before the start.
On the evening of 5 January by boat at the Moll Vell, most recently at around 6 pm in previous years. Afterwards the Cabalgata parades through the city centre to the reception at Plaça de Cort at around 8:30 pm. The city publishes the 2027 programme shortly beforehand.
EMAYA collects old Christmas trees in Palma free of charge. You book a collection on the free number 900 724 000, until the end of January at the latest. Alternatively, the recycling points in Son Castelló and Sant Jordi accept trees. Outside Palma, your own municipality's rules apply.
Winnings above a tax-free allowance are taxable in Spain, and the tax is withheld directly when the prize is paid out. Small winnings remain tax-free. The current thresholds are published by the Agencia Tributaria. If you hold a participación from someone else, you should keep the receipt.