Christmas in Mallorca

What is closed when

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.

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.

Public holidays of the season

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 1 January and Reis (Three Kings) on 6 January. Both are the usual dates, but the 2027 holiday calendar is only published in the autumn in the Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears. Until then the table shows the caveat. 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.

Christmas markets

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. The season starts at the end of November with the switching on of the Christmas lights.

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.

The Sibyl chant and nativity scenes

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.

Three Kings on 5 and 6 January

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.

Mallorcan customs

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.

Practical tips for residents

School holidays

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.

Rubbish and the Christmas tree

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:

Post and parcels in December

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.

Lotería de Navidad and El Niño

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.

Food and shopping

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.

Getting help

The Christmas season brings together cold weather, visitors, time away and year-end deadlines. For each of these, the directory lists suitable providers.

When the heating fails

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.

When visitors come

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. If there is not enough room at home, you can find accommodation in Palma on Booking.com (affiliate link).

When you are away over the holidays

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.

Year end: deadlines, bookkeeping, taxes

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.

Frequently asked questions