August is one of Mallorca’s liveliest months. Long, hot days are made for beach mornings, lazy lunches and evenings where bedtimes are a thing of the past. It’s summer fiesta season too, with towns and villages across the island celebrating their annual patron saint festivities with live music, traditional events, markets and spectacular fireworks.
It can be a wonderful time to experience Mallorca, but a little planning goes a long way when it comes to beating the heat and the crowds. It’s also an ideal time to stay local, and with plenty happening all over the island, that shouldn’t be hard. This guide rounds up the biggest events and family-friendly highlights taking place this August, including this year’s rare solar eclipse.
August on the Island
The island is at its fullest, with visitors arriving from across Europe, the US and beyond to join locals still on their own school holidays. Every beach fills and every square has something going on, so the trick is simply getting ahead of it: up early for the beach before the heat and crowds build, a long lunch, siesta or shade from around 13h until late afternoon, then back out as the temperature drops after 17h. Evening meals are best booked as the sun sets from around 20h, followed by walks along the harbour or a digestif while the kids play on the village square or seafront. Follow that rhythm most days and August is brilliant. Fight it and it’s exhausting.
The story of the month, though, is the sky. On 12 August, a total solar eclipse crosses Mallorca at sunset – the first visible from Spain since 1905! If you’re hoping to see it and haven;t made a plan, do it now: boat trips are largely booked, accommodation in the Sóller valley is close to full, and roads into the best viewpoints will be closed to through traffic on the day.
The same night brings the peak of the Perseid meteor shower too, with a new moon overhead for extra dark skies – worth staying up for, eclipse or no eclipse.
Not sure how to watch it safely with kids, or where to go if Sóller’s already booked out? Our full eclipse guide covers viewing spots, timings and what to pack. Read it here →
Away from the eclipse, the fiesta calendar barely pauses. Pollença’s La Patrona runs into the first two days of the month, and the run-up to Sant Bartomeu on 24 August brings some of the island’s best family traditions: melon lanterns by night in Alcúdia, rubber duck racing in Can Picafort and plenty of traditional dancing, fire runs and fireworks and more. Full details in What’s On below.
What’s On this month?
Our pick of island events this month; cultural, seasonal, and outdoors-n-active moments for families (and a few for the occasional grown-up night-off)
26 July–2 August | La Patrona | Pollença
Pollença’s biggest fiesta of the summer, honours the town’s patron saint, the Mare de Déu dels Àngels, and commemorates its victory over Ottoman pirates in 1550.
Quick history for the kids: On the night of 30 to 31 May 1550, around 1,500 Ottoman corsairs, sea raiders who sailed for the Ottoman Empire, led by the famous commander Dragut, attacked Pollença. In the traditional festival story, they are known as Moros or “Moors”, although this is the historic name used in the celebration rather than a precise description of who they were. In fact, they came from different parts of the Ottoman Empire, including areas that are now Turkey and North Africa. According to local tradition, the people of Pollença, led by local hero Joan Mas, came together to defend their town and forced the attackers to retreat.
After a busy week of children’s activities, concerts, a white-dress evening party and exhibitions, the main day – 2 August – brings: the Alborada (dawn drumming procession) starts at 5h, followed by the Cossiers dance (a traditional Mallorcan folk dance), then the Moors and Christians re-enactment from around 19h, with the Christians in white pyjamas and nightshirts and the Moors in vivid, colourful dress, moving through the town’s narrow lanes before an explosive fireworks show to end the evening around 23h30.
The battle draws thousands into narrow, cobbled streets, with real crowd crush and pushing in the best viewing spots – better suited to older children and teens, not pushchairs and toddlers. Roads and parking in the centre close for the day, so plan an early arrival or use public transport.
More info →
15 July–13 August | Sunset Market | Puerto Portals
Now in its twelfth edition, the Sunset Market runs every Wednesday and Thursday from 18h to midnight. Over 20 stalls of design, fashion, accessories and homeware, plus live music, food trucks and lots of activities for children, set right on the marina.
More info →
31 July–15 August | Festes de Santa Maria del Mar | Cala d’Or
Cala d’Or’s own patron saint fiesta, two weeks of concerts, traditional dances, craft markets and children’s activities in Plaça Costa. Evening parties run throughout, including a Revetlla Blanca (white party) and a Revetlla Jove (youth party). It closes on 15 August with the Processó Marítima, a maritime procession from the church down to the port, followed by a solemn mass and a fireworks display over the water. The Gegants (giants) and xeremiers (traditional pipers) also parade through the town during the fortnight.
More info →
1–8 August | Copa del Rey MAPFRE | Bay of Palma
The 44th edition of the Mediterranean’s most prestigious cruising sailing regatta, organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma. Racing runs all week across several classes, with plenty to watch as the boats set off from and return to Palma’s waterfront promenade.
More info →
1 August | Fira de sa Palomera (Moros i Cristians) | Sant Elm
Sant Elm’s own Moors and Christians re-enactment, smaller in scale than Pollença’s but with a full day of family fun. A market (Mercat de sa Palomera) runs from 17h on both the Friday and Saturday, then on the Saturday, children’s activities and a medieval-themed craft corner run from 10h at Carrer Mestral, there’s a giants’ parade (caparrots) from 18h, and the battle itself from 20h30, moving between the beaches before the main clash.
A concert on Sant Elm beach closes the night. Sant Elm has one access road in, so parking is tight on the day.
More info →
12 August | Total Solar Eclipse | Island-wide, best from the west coast
The first total solar eclipse visible from Spain since 1905 passes over Mallorca at sunset, with around one minute and 36 seconds of totality from the west coast. Boat trips and restaurants with the best viewing points are already largely booked up, and expect road closures in and around the best miradors and viewpoints.
The first total solar eclipse visible from Spain since 1905 passes over Mallorca at sunset, with around one minute and 36 seconds of totality from the west coast. Boat trips and accommodation in Sóller are already largely booked up, and road closures are expected to manage crowds heading for the best viewpoints.
As a bonus, the same night brings the peak of the Perseid meteor shower (12–13 August), coinciding with a new moon this year for exceptionally dark skies – the Observatori Astronòmic de Mallorca is setting up over 30 telescopes across sites in Costitx and Inca for a combined eclipse-and-meteor-shower night. We’ve put together a full guide to viewing it safely with children, best spots, and what to expect.
We’ve put together a full guide to viewing it safely with children, best spots, and what to expect.
Read our full guide to the solar eclipse in Mallorca →
15 August | Festes de la Mare de Déu | Can Picafort & islandwide
The Assumption on 15 August is one of the fixed points of the Mallorcan summer calendar, and several towns build their own patron saint festivities around it.
1–24 August | Can Picafort
Home to the island’s best-known duck race: on 15 August, boats release around 1,900 rubber ducks into the sea and swimmers race out to catch them. A tradition since the 1940s (live ducks were used until 2006!), and one of the more fun, low-key family moments in the calendar.
The wider Can Picafort programme includes a correfoc (fire run) through the town centre on 10 August from 22h15, a foam party in Plaça Cervantes on 13 August from 21h30, the traditional Amollada d’Ànneres (duck-throwing) at 12h on 15 August in Plaça Marina, and a impressive musical fireworks display closing the fiestas just after midnight on 15 August.
Elsewhere on the island, Sineu celebrations include the Festa del Much (the Mucada) on 10 August, when costumed figures and musicians parade through the streets from morning, and you’ll find events around 15 August in Sencelles, Puigpunyent, Campos and other towns nearby.
24 August | Sant Bartomeu | Alcúdia & Island-wide
Sant Bartomeu’s feast day is 24 August, and towns mark it in their own way.
Sóller builds towards it all week, ending with the Nit de Foc, when the town’s devil troupe (Esclatabutzes) run through the streets carrying fireworks. A few days earlier there’s the ‘pal ensabonat‘, a tall soapy wooden pole that participants attempt to climb to win a prize!
Capdepera runs a cursa de carretons from 19h on the 24th: homemade soapbox carts, built and raced by local kids down the street.
Ses Salines celebrates its love of horses with the Festa del Cavall, held during the Sant Bartomeu festivities at the end of August. Inspired by Menorca’s famous jaleo horse traditions, riders bring their decorated horses into the streets, where they perform the traditional bots (rearing up and jumping) to music in front of the crowd.
Worth a special mention is Alcúdia‘s Festa de ses Llanternes, also on the 24th, from 21h. Kids carve the last watermelons and melons of summer into lanterns and carry them through the old town after dark, starting and ending at the town hall. Lantern-making workshops take place in the morning.
Smaller-town patron saint fiestas, throughout August
Beyond the headline festivals, August is when many of Mallorca’s villages towns come alive with Festes d’Estiu (summer festivals) and festes patronals (patron saint celebrations). Each has its own character, most with traditional dancing, live music, family activities and long-standing local customs. A few more to explore….
Portocolom opens the month on 1 August with the Espiadimonis Batucada, a lively street drumming parade marking the group’s fifteenth anniversary. Montuïri‘s famous Cossiers, among Mallorca’s oldest surviving folk dance traditions, take centre stage during the Sant Bartomeu celebrations on 23 and 24 August. Alaró celebrates Sant Roc from 8 to 16 August, with traditional Cossiers dances and a full programme of village festivities.
Across the island, these local celebrations are often the best way to experience Mallorcan music, dancing and community traditions.
Dates and times may change, particularly in the case of bad weather. Always check directly with the organiser, or the local ajuntament’s Instagram page or website, for the latest programme and updates before heading to an event.
Island Adventures – things to do with kids in August
Escaping the heat
August takes July’s heat and turns it up a notch – this is the month air conditioning stops being a nice-to-have. Our full guide covers the best indoor options for the hours when the sand is just too hot: caves, waterparks, museums, cinemas, indoor play and shopping centres.
Our guide to beating the heat with kids →
Away from air conditioning, a boat day is our all time favourite way to beat the heat – your own patch of sea beats fighting for beach space, and there’s always a breeze once you’re moving.
Water parks remain the reliable fallback too: Aqualand El Arenal, Western Water Park in Magaluf, and Hidropark in Alcúdia all run full days out, and Balearic residents get 30% off booking online.
Our full guide to Mallorca’s water parks →
And when you want cool air rather than cool water, Mallorca’s caves hold a steady 18–21°C year-round regardless of what’s happening outside.
Mallorca’s caves with kids: which one should you visit? →
Beaches to escape the crowds
The best-known beaches get busy by 9h in August, and that’s if you’ve managed to find a parking spot. But an early start and a short walk can still deliver a relatively peaceful day by the sea if you know where to go.
One option is to try a nature reserve, like S’Amarador inside the Mondragó Natural Park: no hotels on the bay, protected from development on all sides, and once the dedicated car park is full, access is limited, so the cars can’t keep arriving all day. That’s not to say it’s a quiet beach – more capped. For a real change of pace, try Sa Canova, the long stretch of sand between Son Serra de Marina and Colònia de Sant Pere, which rarely fills up the way its Alcúdia Bay neighbours do.
We’ve saved the full list of escapist beaches for our email subscribers. You can sign up here →
Best spots for snorkelling
It’s hot, and there’s nowhere better to be than under the water. Clear coves, calm shallows you can jump straight into, and if you wake up early enough, fish life within a few strokes of the shore – no coral, but plenty of rocky nooks with octopus tucked into crevices. We’ve picked our six favourites, from easy family coves to the ones worth a boat trip.
Summer camps.
Most multi-activity and language camps wrap up by the end of July, but many of the watersports camps – sailing, paddleboarding, surf schools – run right through August, since the sea and the weather are exactly what they’re built for.
Explore Summer Camps in Mallorca →
Family Friendly Insider
Some of Mallorca’s most photographed beaches are also the ones locals steer clear of in August – here are a few we don’t even consider taking the kids to.
Beaches we avoid in August
Arrive by 9h or skip it: Es Trenc, Formentor: Mondrago Nature Reserve – parking fills and the roads in close once it does. There’s no clever workaround here, just an early alarm (or a private boat charter!)
Logistical nightmare with kids in high summer (brilliant off-season): Cala Deià – no shade, few facilities and a single track access road which also closes to traffic when full – this is not one for kids unless you’re staying locally and strolling down for a sunset dip. Nor is Sa Calobra – narrow roads and a drive that eats half the day away – if you’d like to visit, join a boat trip from Port de Sóller instead.
Influencer overload: Caló des Moro and Cala S’Almunia – even if you’ve parked and hiked in at sunrise, this is one we completely rule out in summer. Come back on a weekday in October or April instead, and only with older kids – the path down is steep and can be unsafe. Cala Llombards is a similar story in August: too packed to be pretty unless you’re popping in for breakfast at 8h and leaving by 11h.
What’s the Weather Like This Month
August is Mallorca’s hottest month, and also one of the driest. August is Mallorca’s hottest month, and its second-driest after July. The odd storm can roll through after a particularly hot stretch, but they tend to come and go rather than hang around.
- Temperature: 30–31°C in the day, dropping to 22–24°C at night. Heatwave days can push well past 35°C.
- Sea temperature: Around 26°C – the warmest it gets all year.
- Rainfall: Around five days of rain across the month, rarely more than light and brief. Still a very safe month to plan outdoor days.
- Daylight: Sunset moves from around 20h45 at the start of the month to around 20h15 by the end – still long evenings, just quietly shortening.
Packing tips: Same summer kit as July – high SPF, sun hats, UV swim t-shirts. For the evening, mosquito spray or light long sleeves, especially if you are staying near salt flats or wetlands. If you’re planning to be out for the eclipse on 12 August, add proper eclipse glasses (ISO 12312-2 certified) to the list; sunglasses aren’t enough for looking anywhere near the sun directly.
Read our Seasonal Travel Guide →
And Just Around the Corner
September brings the island’s much-needed exhale. The heat drops, the crowds thin, and the kids head back to school (phew). Weather-wise, it’s also when the first proper autumn storms tend to arrive: sudden and powerful, not lasting long, but delivering much-needed cleaner air.
The sea stays warm though, hotels and restaurants are still lively, and on the sunny days – most days – it’s one of the best months to explore the island. It’s harvest season too, with the island’s autumn produce fairs starting up: grapes first, with olives following not far behind.
Want next month’s guide in your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter →
Planning a trip to Mallorca? I create personalised itineraries and experiences for families who want to go beyond the beach and experience the best of the island. Get in touch.
