Festa des Vermar 2025 turns Binissalem into Mallorca’s joyous harvest capital for nearly three weeks in September, culminating in an unforgettable final weekend of grape traditions, music, market life, and shared tables. The island’s official listings and long‑running guides confirm that the celebration spans mid to late September each year, with the iconic Gran Batalla de Raïm grape fight typically landing on the third Saturday and the famous Trepitjar Raïm grape‑treading contest and Wine Fair anchoring the closing days in the town center. For 2025, expect the battle and major parades around the third weekend of September, with full program details released by the Ajuntament de Binissalem as the month approaches.
Dates and rhythm
- Timing: The festival runs for almost three weeks each September, synchronized with the grape harvest and ending in a high‑energy final weekend of parades, grape battle, grape treading, Wine Fair, and concerts. Official tourism channels and event guides place the highlight weekend in the third week of September, in line with tradition.
- Why September: Binissalem is Mallorca’s historic wine heart, so Vermar marks the moment when grapes leave the vines and a new vintage begins, bringing the whole village into the streets to celebrate.
Headline traditions
- Gran Batalla de Raïm: The island’s messiest fiesta and Vermar’s most famous spectacle. Around 10,000 kilos of grapes are hurled in a riotous, good‑spirited “battle” in a field on the edge of town, usually on the third Saturday of September. Participants wear throwaway clothes, gather at a designated lot, and dive into a purple haze of laughter and juice, with mobile showers installed by the town to rinse off before heading back into the center.
- Concurs de Trepitjar Raïm: The grape‑treading contest is pure theater and skill. In Plaça de l’Església, teams of two step into barrels and stomp barefoot for 3–4 minutes, holding each other’s shoulders while they squeeze every last drop from sacks of grapes. It is hilarious and competitive, attracting huge crowds on the Sunday evening of the final weekend.
- Desfilada de Carrosses: A parade of decorated floats — traditional, original, and youth categories — rolls through the streets, with crowds lining the route to cheer on neighbors and local associations. The floats evoke vineyard life, harvest scenes, and Mallorcan folklore, and they are a beloved highlight of Vermar’s closing days.
Food, wine, and street life
- Fideus de Vermar: Vermar has its own dish. This slow‑cooked noodle stew is historically made with lamb, sobrassada, tomato, onion, and sometimes snails, though many kitchens now use rabbit. Restaurants across Binissalem pivot to this one dish during Vermar, and a big communal serving often caps a day of events.
- Wine tastings and the Wine Fair: Local producers open their doors and pour at the official Wine Fair, which typically opens on the final Saturday evening in Parc de la Rectoria and then runs with set hours through the weekend. It is an essential stop for sampling Binissalem DO wines before dancing resumes in the square.
- Sopars a la fresca: Outdoor dinners and neighborhood “sopars” fill the lanes on the Friday before the last weekend. Residents set long tables, decorate streets, and invite family, friends, and visitors to dine together as xeremiers (bagpipers) walk by — the warm heart of Binissalem hospitality.
Music, culture, and night rituals
- Xeremiers and gegants: Bagpipers frame parades and ceremonies, sometimes joined by the giants Jaume and Aina, adding folk grandeur to the weekend.
- Correfoc and night parades: A diabolic children’s parade keeps the fun going after the grape‑treading, and a late‑night correfoc and “MalSON” spectacle light the streets with drums, sparks, and a touch of theatrical fear, reminding everyone that Mallorca’s harvest also carries ancient, fiery magic.
- Big concerts: The final Saturday usually closes with hours of live music on Plaça de l’Església — a grand dance party that runs late into the night after the Wine Fair opens.
2024 program as a guide to 2025
While the town releases the detailed 2025 schedule in early September, the 2024 program shows the classic flow Vermar follows:
- Kick‑off speech at the town hall, followed immediately by the Great Grape Battle at the sports zone.
- Homage to elders with church ceremony and music in Plaça de l’Església.
- The XXIV Grape Stomping Contest and a diabolic children’s parade in the evening.
- Weeknights with workshops, a 6.5 km inter‑vineyard run from Bodegas José L. Ferrer, and the XLI Fideus de Vermar night in the square.
- Friday’s dinners in the street and late‑night correfoc.
- Saturday float parade, the “No means no” and “Don’t be a fool” awareness points, the XIX Wine Fair opening in Parc de la Rectoria, and a grand concert until dawn.
Practical tips
- What to wear for the battle: A white T‑shirt is traditional for maximum purple effect — and bring goggles or sunglasses to protect eyes. Old shoes or water sandals are wise, and a towel and change of clothes for after. Showers set up near the battle site help everyone return to town presentable.
- Where to stand: For treading and concerts, arrive early at Plaça de l’Església and hug the rail for the best view. For the float parade, find a spot near the square so it is easy to pivot to the Wine Fair opening and the night’s music.
- Family‑friendly timing: Daytime parades, the elder homage, workshops, and the grape‑treading contest are great with kids. The grape battle is fun but full‑on — consider age and comfort with crowds if bringing children.
- Getting there: Binissalem sits on the Palma–Inca train line, so public transport is an efficient option on closing weekend when streets are crowded. If driving, arrive early and park outside the center.
- Book dinner: Restaurants that serve fideus de vermar fill up quickly; reserve a table or join the communal serving listed in the program.
Culture and meaning
- A living harvest: Vermar is more than a street party — it is a rite of thanks for a year in the fields. It blends medieval echoes with modern community action, from awareness points on safety and respect to inclusive activities for elders and children.
- Open‑door wineries: Many local cellars open during Vermar for tours and tastings. It is an excellent time to learn the island’s grapes and meet the makers whose wines fill the fair.
Planning a perfect closing weekend
- Friday: Stroll decorated streets, photograph the bunting, then dine in the open air at a sopar a la fresca and stay for the correfoc.
- Saturday: Save the white tee for the Gran Batalla de Raïm, rinse off, watch the float parade, toast at the Wine Fair opening, then dance on the square.
- Sunday: Cheer the Grape Stomping Contest, taste fideus de vermar, and say goodbye with a glass at the fair before the final concert.
Verified details at a glance
- What: Festa des Vermar, Binissalem’s grape‑harvest festival.
- When: Three weeks in September; highlight events — grape battle, float parade, grape‑treading, Wine Fair — cluster around the third weekend.
- Where: Binissalem town center; grape battle on the outskirts; Wine Fair at Parc de la Rectoria; treading and big concerts at Plaça de l’Església.
- Signature elements: Gran Batalla de Raïm, Concurs de Trepitjar Raïm, Desfilada de Carrosses, sopars a la fresca, fideus de vermar, Wine Fair, correfoc, xeremiers, giants.
- How to follow: Binissalem Town Hall publishes the detailed program and PDF schedule in early September; check official channels and local media for exact times.
Pack a white shirt, bring an appetite, and be ready to raise a glass to the vintage. Plot a Friday dinner in the streets, a Saturday grape battle and parade, and a Sunday by the barrels for treading and fideus. Festa des Vermar is Binissalem at its most alive — a harvest celebration that invites everyone to stomp, taste, and dance as a new year of Mallorcan wine begins.