Festa des Vermar in Binissalem: Mallorca's Grape Harvest Festival
By late August, in the vineyards surrounding Binissalem, the rows of vines begin to change colour. Green turns to copper, then to a deep purple, and harvesting crews head out before the sun gets too strong, while the grapes still hold the coolness of the night. That rhythm, repeated season after season for generations, gave rise to the longest-running festival on inland Mallorca's calendar: the Festa des Vermar.
Six decades of festival and wine
The Festa des Vermar began in the mid-1960s as a harvest thanksgiving celebration, and in 2026 it marks its sixtieth edition, with the town set on commemorating "sixty years of a festival that is part of Binissalem's identity", as the official programme from the Town Council puts it. The festival runs across nearly three weeks of September and builds to its largest gatherings on the final weekend of the month.
Wine here isn't decoration — it's the whole reason for the festival. Binissalem belongs to the D.O. Binissalem, the first wine denomination of origin recognised in the Balearic Islands, and its limestone soil and elevation — around a hundred metres above sea level, sheltered by the Serra de Tramuntana — have made it possible to grow manto negro, the native grape variety that remains the backbone of the region's red wines, as Illes Balears Turisme explains.
Treading grapes and the battle of raïm
The programme mixes solemn ceremony with far more light-hearted moments. The "vermadors i vermadores" — young people chosen each year as festival ambassadors — lead the opening proclamation and offerings; meanwhile, in the church square, barefoot teams compete at treading grapes the traditional way, in a contest that draws as much laughter as applause. The other great spectacle — probably the most photographed — is the Festa dels Trepitjadors, with its grape battle: hundreds of kilos of overripe grapes fly back and forth across a field on the edge of town, in a festive skirmish that this year also marks its own 25th anniversary. As night falls, correfocs (fire runs) wind through the streets amid sparks and music.
The long table of fideus de vermar
If one moment captures the spirit of the Vermada, it's the sopar a la fresca: the streets close to traffic, neighbours carry tables and chairs out to their doorsteps, and thousands sit down together to share fideus de vermar, a dish of stewed noodles traditionally served alongside a glass of the season's new wine. It isn't staged for visitors — it's a neighbourhood dinner that, year after year, opens its doors to anyone who wants to join in.
From Port d'Andratx to the island's wine country
Binissalem sits in the centre of Mallorca, just over half an hour's drive from Port d'Andratx, making it a perfect half-day trip for guests staying at Mon Port who want to see a side of the island quite different from the coast. Anyone wanting to explore Mallorcan wine at a slower pace — visiting wineries and tasting outside festival dates — can round out the experience with our article on Mallorcan wineries and wine in the island's interior. And for those looking to pair the day with something from the sea before heading back, Port d'Andratx's caldereta de llagosta remains the best way to close it out.
The Festa des Vermar needs no tourist dressing-up: it's simply the way Binissalem keeps celebrating what it has celebrated for sixty years, with wine as the thread running through an identity that keeps renewing itself.
