Patrona in Palma: 32,000 celebrate on Paseo Marítimo – music, sea and fireworks

Full shore, loud beats: Patrona fills Palma's Paseo Marítimo

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It smelled of seawater, roasted almonds, and gasoline from the stage setup. By 8 p.m. the first rows were already close to the barrier; by 10 p.m. the city administration estimated: about 32,000 visitors along the Paseo Marítimo and in Parc de la Mar — directly beneath the cathedral.

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International acts and local vibe

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Electronic sounds on the stage ranged from international DJs like WhoMadeWho to sets by the well-known BLOND:ISH. The music was loud enough to be heard in the side streets. Between tourists with cameras and locals in flip-flops, families with children, couples, night owls, and people who clearly wanted to stay all night, I listened at the bar on Born-Platz to a woman who laughed and said: 'Palma never misses something like this in summer.'

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City pays – with a goal

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The city budgeted around 330,000 euros for the event. The mayor and organizers described it as an investment in Palma's public cultural agenda and as a building block for the bid for the title European Capital of Culture 2031. Whether the money is justified was hotly debated on the sidelines: for some the road-blocking barriers were annoying, others praised the security concept and the well-organized layout.

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Police and security services controlled entry and exit, there were temporary traffic restrictions on the Avinguda Gabriel Roca. Those who arrived late took it in stride: taxi drivers on the Muelle Comercial waved shuttle routes back and forth, beer sellers on wheels were a constant presence in the alleys.

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Fireworks over the bay

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As the grand finale around 11:30 p.m. a fireworks display rose over the bay — a nearly ten-minute show that lit the cathedral silver from behind. Applause, phone lights, a few smokers who quieted down. Then the crowd dispersed in an orderly fashion, tram and bus connections slowly filled again.

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In the end the impression remains: Palma reclaimed its waterfront for one evening — as a place for large outdoor music, for gathering and for the question of how city life and public funds will fit together in the future. I was still at Plaça de Weyler around midnight, the air fresh, and thought: It was loud, friendly and a bit wild. This is how we know our city.