The new Magaluf seafront promenade opens with music, cinema and gastronomy

Magaluf beach will host the grand opening of the Gabriel Escarrer Juliá Seafront Promenade this Saturday and Sunday.

Calvià is making history this weekend with the programme of events for the inauguration of the Magaluf seafront promenade, the Gabriel Escarrer Juliá Promenade. Magaluf will host a two-day cultural and leisure programme open to residents and tourists. On Saturday 27th, there will be a free concert by the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra together with a 400-drone show, and on Sunday there will be a cinema event with a preview of the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest. On both days, free shuttle buses will be provided to make access to the beach easier for the public, running from the former ITV station and Western Water Park.

The programme of activities and transport services was presented this Thursday, June 25th, at Calvià Town Hall. The mayor, Juan Antonio Amengual, highlighted before the media that the inauguration of the Gabriel Escarrer Juliá Promenade “is much more than a celebration: it is the confirmation of a new Magaluf, in which administrations, business owners in commerce and leisure, and hoteliers have been working for years. Today, Magaluf is becoming a benchmark destination, and we want to showcase it to residents of Mallorca and to our visitors.”

The manager of the orchestra, Cristina Martínez, expressed “her excitement” that, for the first time, a symphony concert will take place on a beach.

Pablo Mielgo, artistic and musical director of the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra, presented the programme and stressed that “we are preparing everything for a historic day in which the orchestra opens its doors to cinema, music, and this new Magaluf.”

Cristina Gómez, executive director of Atlàntida Film Fest, explained why the location was chosen: “We have long wanted to bring Atlàntida to the beach, and we understood that the renovated seafront promenade was the best possible location.”

Meanwhile, Aina Arbós, Project Manager at LoMusic, the company responsible for the staging, described the preparation of the 400-drone show taking place on Saturday and highlighted the importance of coordination with the Symphony Orchestra, as well as the challenge of building a large-scale stage on the beach sand.

The events on Saturday 27th will be attended by the mayor Juan Antonio Amengual and his municipal government team; Jaume Bauzà Mayol, Regional Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports; Llorenç Galmés Verger, President of the Mallorca Island Council; Alfonso Rodríguez Badal, Government Delegate; Cristina Martínez Mateu, Manager of the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra; Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International; and Mercedes Escarrer, from Meliá Hotels International, representing the Escarrer family.

Likewise, various representatives from prominent institutions will attend the event to show institutional support. These include Miquel Rosselló Jiménez, Director General of Tourism; Pedro Vidal Monserrat, Regional Secretary for Culture and Sports; Pere Joan Planas, Director of Tourism Strategy for the Balearic Islands; Guillem Ginard Sala, Executive Councillor for Tourism of the Mallorca Island Council; Clara del Moral, Island Director of Tourism for Offer and Quality; Tommy Ferragut, Island Director of Tourism for Demand and Hospitality; Pedro Mas, Island Director of Tourism for Governance and Sustainability; Carmen Planas, President of CAEB; Rafael Matas, Vice President of PIMEM; and Margarita Nájera, former mayor of Calvià.

In addition, various public figures, business owners, hoteliers from the municipality, and media representatives have confirmed their attendance.

The main event on Saturday 27th will be a free open-air concert by the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its principal conductor Pablo Mielgo, performing iconic film soundtracks. At 9:30 p.m., under the slogan “Calvià is Cinema,” the orchestra will perform a programme focused on major film scores. The performance will be accompanied by an aerial show of 400 drones, which will form visual figures and elements related to cinema, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional fireworks.

Among the selected pieces are soundtracks from classics such as The Sound of Music, Indiana Jones, Superman, and The Schindler’s List, all accompanied by visuals and various figures created by drones in the sky.

Earlier, from 6:00 p.m., the Kpop Experience will take place, led by Kpop Baleares, with dance performances and random K-pop choreography sessions, as well as a short tribute to BTS, serving as a warm-up for DJ Alba Serrano, who will play a selection of hits starting at 7:30 p.m. until the concert begins.

The main event at 9:30 p.m. will be a concert that, for the first time in the Balearic Islands, will take place on the sand. After the orchestra finishes its performance, the celebration will continue with the band Lost in Translation, a Balearic music project formed by Aina Zuazaga, Toni Bestard, and Gonzalo Nadal, which fuses styles and reinterprets legendary film songs.

In addition, the second Magaluf Gastrofair will take place on both Saturday and Sunday, promoting the quality of local culinary offerings and allowing attendees to taste dishes from a dozen establishments in a completely renovated setting. Participating venues include Bondy Beach, Chili Lounge, Ibizza Pizzeria, Pardo’s, Kalima, El Balcón de Magaluf, Titanic, Blackbeard’s, Oceans, Sirocco Oasis Beach, and Las Palmeras.

On Sunday 28th, Magaluf beach will serve as a preview venue for the 16th edition of the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest, which arrives in Calvià for the first time.

The programme, again free of charge, will include screenings of The Moment and three short films from the “Where Talent Ignites” programme by Audiovisual from Spain, as well as musical performances by Sideways and Aina Losange.

The Moment (2026) is one of the most talked-about films of the year, a mockumentary comedy-drama and pop satire distributed by the acclaimed production company A24. The film originated from an idea by singer Charli XCX, inspired by her own experiences, exhaustion, and the pressures of fame following her rise in pop culture (especially after the success of her “Brat” era).

The screening will be complemented by three short films: La Tarana, Flamenca, and La Llama.

The proposal will offer an experience combining cinema, music, and Mediterranean scenery in one of the most special moments of the year. With a large LED screen installed by the sea and a sun-lounger area, the audience will enjoy an evening designed to celebrate the arrival of summer almost a month before the official start of the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest, whose in-person programme will take place from July 24 to August 2, and online on the Filmin platform from July 24 to August 24. The Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest (AMFF), created sixteen years ago by the Filmin platform, is the world’s largest hybrid festival, with both an in-person edition in Mallorca and an online edition.

It is worth remembering that Calvià has become the first municipality in the Balearic Islands to join Spain Film Commission. The pioneering collaboration with the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest helps strengthen this positioning and project Calvià as a territory closely linked to cinema and contemporary creation, alongside the recent first Artificial Intelligence Short Film Festival (AIMA) and the launch of the project “Calvià, Film Set,” which highlights the municipality’s filming locations.

The Town Hall has arranged a free minibus shuttle service to facilitate attendance. On Saturday, between 7:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., two pick-up points will operate at the parking area of the former Magaluf ITV station (behind Lidl Magaluf) and in front of Western Park. The drop-off and pick-up point in Magaluf will be the Foners roundabout (commonly known as “La Diligencia Square”).

On Sunday 28, the same service will operate from the same locations between 6:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., also free of charge.

Saturday’s events will be broadcast live via streaming on the IB3 website, the public television of the Balearic Islands, and the social media channels of Calvià Town Hall.

The weekend events have been made possible thanks to funding from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) of the Government of the Balearic Islands.

The redevelopment works of the first phase of the Magaluf Seafront Promenade, led by the Calvià Town Council, began in November 2024 and were completed in April last year with a festive public event under the slogan “Magaluf for all,” symbolising the new Magaluf, open to tourists of all ages and nationalities as well as residents. During this first phase, 650 metres of promenade up to Jacques Sasson Square were upgraded. The project also incorporated European environmental requirements, creating a natural dune environment with low visual impact, planting palm trees and drought-resistant vegetation, and introducing a water collection and reuse system to reduce potable water use, a scarce resource on the island.

This philosophy of preserving the natural environment as much as possible, as well as promoting sustainability, has also been maintained in the second phase of the works.

Additionally, the Magaluf beach currently features dunes marked with reed fencing and native species reaching a maximum height of 80 centimetres, reducing visual impact so that the sea view remains unobstructed from the promenade and beachfront terraces.

Another major investment in the project has been the installation of a rainwater collection system processed on-site in small treatment plants. The resulting water is used to irrigate dune vegetation. Showers include foot-washing stations supplied with seawater extracted from the beach’s aquifer, measures aimed at minimising freshwater consumption.

In the first phase of the redevelopment, €4 million from EU Next Generation funds under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan was invested in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Tourism and the Balearic Regional Ministry of Tourism through Illes Balears Sostenibles. An additional €1.75 million came from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS).

The investment enabled key improvements such as upgrading the water network, renewing wastewater systems, installing efficient lighting, pedestrianising spaces, and fully digitising tourist services.

On May 20, Calvià completed the project with the institutional inauguration of the second phase, attended by the President of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, and the President and CEO of Meliá Hotels, Gabriel Escarrer, along with local authorities and business leaders.

In this second phase, 286 linear metres of promenade were renovated, including the redevelopment of Francisca Pujol Terrasa Street from Punta Ballena Street to the seafront promenade, and improvements to Miguel Altoaguirre Street and its stairways. The project also received €2.9 million from the Sustainable Tourism Tax, reinforcing institutional commitment to the modernisation and improvement of the destination.