Sant Sebastià Palma 2026: The Biggest City Festival in January

If you live on Mallorca in January, you get to experience the biggest city festival of the winter: Sant Sebastià in Palma. Every year around January 20, which fell on a Tuesday in 2026, the capital turns into one long celebration for several days. There are bonfires in every neighbourhood, free concerts on the squares, and the spectacular correfoc procession, where dimonis dressed as devils send sparks flying through the crowd. For residents, this festival is a must. January 20 is a local public holiday in Palma only, while the rest of the island works as normal, and our overview of public holidays on Mallorca explains how the local holidays are spread across the municipalities.

What is Sant Sebastià?

Sant Sebastià (San Sebastián) is the patron saint of Palma de Mallorca. His feast day falls on January 20. The city has been celebrating him for centuries with festivities that run over several days and peak on the night of January 19 to 20. It is one of the most traditional and at the same time liveliest winter festivals in the Balearics.

What exactly is a foguero? A foguero (plural: foguerons) is a large bonfire lit in the streets and squares of Palma by neighbourhood associations, clubs and the city council. People grill bread, butifarra (Mallorcan sausage) and sweet potatoes around the fire. The atmosphere is sociable and relaxed.

The foguerons are the heart of the festival. In 2025 more than 100 official foguerons were registered in Palma, organised by various associations and city districts. Every neighbourhood has its own, which is what makes the festival feel so genuine. It is not a centralised tourist event but a celebration run by and for the neighbourhoods.

The programme: concerts, correfoc and more

Palma city council publishes the official programme in early January on the website of the Ajuntament de Palma. The programme typically includes:

• Concerts on the Plaça Major, the Plaça d'Espanya and other squares
• The correfoc, where groups dressed as devils (colles de dimonis) move through the streets with fireworks and torches
• The official foguero night on January 19
• A children's programme in the afternoon
• Closing fireworks on the evening of January 20

Almost all events are free. Some concerts by bigger bands may require separate tickets. The official programme is published in Catalan and Spanish, and the details for 2026 were available on the city website.

The correfoc: sparks and devils

The correfoc is the highlight for many visitors and residents. Several groups (colles de dimonis) move through the old town. Participants wear devil costumes and carry torches or mounted fireworks that throw off showers of sparks. The public is welcome to join in, and the tradition is to wear old clothes and a hood so the sparks do no damage.

If you have children with you, or you simply prefer some distance, there are good viewing spots along the edge of the route. The correfoc route is announced in the official programme each year.

Sant Sebastià 2026: what took place

The feast day of Sant Sebastià fell on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The main programme was concentrated on the weekend before (January 16 to 18) plus the fire nights on January 19 and 20.

As in previous years, the city council organised concerts in the centre. The foguerons were lit across all districts from the evening of January 19. The correfoc ran through the historic old town. The city published details of the schedule and the participating bands on its culture pages.

Other municipalities on Mallorca celebrate Sant Sebastià too, though on a smaller scale. Sa Pobla is known for its own particularly spectacular fire celebration, which takes place in the same period.

What residents should know

If you live on Mallorca permanently, Sant Sebastià is one of the best chances to see real city life. The festival attracts very little mass tourism. It belongs to the people of Palma. January is off season, the city is quieter, and that is exactly why the mood at Sant Sebastià is so special.

Practical notes:

• Public transport runs on an extended timetable, with night buses on the fire night
• Parking in the centre is heavily restricted, so it is better to come by bus or taxi
• Restaurants in the centre are busy, so book a table in advance
• Food and drink are available at the foguerons themselves, and freshly grilled butifarra and sweet pastries are part of the tradition

If you are coming from the north of the island or the interior, the trip into Palma is worth it for the fire night on January 19. That is the evening when foguerons burn all across the city at the same time and Palma turns into one big sea of light.

The information on official events from the Balearic tourism authority gives you a good sense of where the major festivals sit in the island's yearly calendar.

You can read more about the variety of traditional festivals on Mallorca in our overview of the Fiestas Patronales. All the other dates in the year are listed in the Mallorca events calendar 2026.

Conclusion

Sant Sebastià in Palma is a winter festival you should experience at least once as a resident on Mallorca. The mix of bonfire atmosphere in every neighbourhood, free concerts and the spectacular correfoc makes it something of its own. The feast day falls on January 20 every year, and the main programme stretches over several days. It pays to look early: the official programme goes up on the Ajuntament de Palma website at the start of January.