What to expect
Vilafranca de Bonany is known as the melon village, and with good reason: the fields around the town in the centre of the island have produced Mallorca's best-known melons for generations. On the first weekend of September the village celebrates its most important fruit with the Festa i Fira del Meló. In 2026 the festival kicks off with the evening craft market Firó Nocturn on Saturday 5 September, with the main Fira following on Sunday 6 September.
The most famous item on the programme is the contest for the heaviest melon. The local farmers nurture their candidates all summer long, and the winning fruits regularly tip the scales at more than 20 kilos. The public weighing ceremony is the highlight of the Sunday and draws a large crowd of onlookers every year. Afterwards the giant melons are traditionally cut open and shared out.
Around the contest, the town centre turns into a market: stalls with melons straight from the field, tastings, melon products such as jam and liqueur, plus crafts, agricultural machinery and folklore groups. The Firó Nocturn on Saturday evening is the more relaxed option, with music and stalls in more pleasant temperatures. If you drive across the island in September, you will still see the melon stands along the Ma-15 country road for weeks afterwards.
Practical tips
- Getting there: Vilafranca lies directly on the Ma-15 between Palma and Manacor, about 35 minutes by car from Palma. Come early on the Fira Sunday, car parks on the edge of town fill up quickly.
- Crowds: Sunday morning around the weighing ceremony is the busiest. Saturday evening is noticeably quieter.
- Costs: Access is free. You pay for melons, tastings and food at the stalls yourself, and prices are down to earth.
- What to bring: A bag or crate for the car is worthwhile; melons straight from the grower are cheaper and riper than in the supermarket.