One of Mallorca’s biggest village festivals is back with concerts, traditions and a very unusual race

Bunyola’s annual Festes de Sant Mateu, one of Mallorca’s most significant festivals, is set to return this September. The ten-day celebration, honoring the town’s patron saint, Sant Mateu, brings an array of music, cultural performances, and traditional island customs to the village’s streets and squares. The event, which runs from September 11-21, is free to attend and easily reachable via the historic Palma-Sóller train line.

Key highlights of the festivities include open-air concerts, evening revetlles, folklore performances, and children’s activities, alongside religious ceremonies featuring a solemn Mass in honor of Sant Mateu. Local bars and restaurants join the celebration, offering Mallorcan cuisine for visitors to enjoy. However, the festival’s pièce de résistance is the controversial underwear race, where hundreds of participants dress in colorful costumes and, of course, their undergarments, transforming the streets into a vibrant carnival scene.

The tradition, which began as a playful idea among friends, has become a major attraction, drawing crowds both locally and from across the island.