What to expect
The Festa de les Verges is Mallorca's version of Saint Ursula's day and one of the most charming festivals in the island calendar, precisely because it does without any big spectacle. It is celebrated over two days: on the evening of 20 October, the vigil of Saint Ursula, music groups move through the streets performing serenades. Originally young men sang beneath the windows of unmarried women; today choirs, music schools and groups of friends take over, wandering through the old town lanes of Palma. Inca and other towns also keep the serenade night alive.
21 October then belongs to the bunyols. These fried rings of yeast dough made with potato or sweet potato are rolled in sugar and eaten while still warm. On this day long queues form outside the traditional bunyolerias in Palma, and some stalls fry right on the street. Many families bake at home, and schools and clubs invite people to share bunyols together. The scent of hot oil and sugar hangs over half the city that day.
The festival is not an event with a stage and a programme booklet but lived everyday culture: the best way to experience it is to stroll through Palma's old town on the evening of 20 October and pick up a bag of bunyols on 21 October.
Practical tips
- Getting there: In Palma the old town is best explored on foot. Trains to Inca run from Palma several times an hour.
- Crowds: There are no big gatherings, just queues outside the well-known bunyolerias on 21 October. Allow a little waiting time.
- Costs: The serenades are free; a bag of bunyols costs a few euros depending on size.
- Bunyols tip: They taste best fresh from the oil. Buy where they fry on the spot, not pre-packaged goods.