Sant Bartomeu in Sant Antoni: 200 drones on 23 August, fireworks on the 24th

Sant Antoni is holding its patron festival, the Festes de Sant Bartomeu, from 9 August to 13 September. More than thirty activities, almost all of them free, and two nights that will fill the bay from the church steps to the far end of the promenade.

The two nights everyone turns up for

Sunday 23 August: a 200-drone show over the bay of Portmany. The figures are built around the town's own heritage and symbols rather than the generic hearts and dolphins these shows usually default to. Drone displays are quiet, which changes where you can stand — anywhere with a clear line over the water works, and you do not need to be near the speakers.

Monday 24 August: Sant Bartomeu's day, ending in the fireworks castle over the water. The town has said this year's load of powder is bigger than usual. The day starts with a foam party for children in the morning, then mass, procession and ball pagès in the afternoon, then an Extremoduro tribute band on the main stage, then the fireworks.

That afternoon sequence is the part visitors skip and shouldn't. The ball pagès is not a show put on for tourists: it is danced by people from the village, in the family jewellery, in a heat that makes the costumes an act of endurance.

The rest of the programme worth knowing about

• 15 August — the ballada at the Cova de Santa Agnès, in the north of the municipality.
• 22 August — La Movida de Sant Bartomeu, and the elders' party.
• 23 August — I Love Sant Antoni, a showcase of local DJs, on the same day as the drones.
• 30 August — Festa de la Terra: craft stalls, island produce, traditional games and a sardine roast.
• 5 September — Ixtar Curts, the short film showcase.
• September — the twenty-fifth edition of the Carthaginians and Romans festival, tomato battle included.

If you want the wider picture of what a village festa is and how to behave at one, we wrote about the August festes patronals separately.

What to do with the days around them

Both big nights start late, which leaves the daylight hours entirely free — and Sant Antoni's daylight is better than its reputation, most of which was earned by four streets.

• Morning on the water. The bay is flat and sheltered early, which is why the paddle-surf session in a Sant Antoni cove runs with four people maximum instead of a crowd of fifteen. For something quieter still, the snorkelling trip to a secret cove near Sant Antoni gets you off the main beach entirely.
• Slow start. Beach yoga in San Antonio is a straightforward two hours on the sand and a sensible way to recover from a night of fireworks.
• The town itself. The free walking tour of Sant Antoni covers the fortified church the whole festival is named for, which is a better use of an hour than another lap of the promenade.
• Late afternoon. If the fireworks are over the water, so is the best view of the day before them: a sunset sail with cava puts you in the bay looking back at the town.

And if you would like to hold a conversation at the festa rather than watch it, learning Spanish over a card game on the bay is a low-stakes way in.

Practical

• Dates: 9 August to 13 September; the two peak nights are 23 and 24 August.
• Price: free, apart from a few ticketed concerts.
• Where to stand: anywhere along the promenade with a clear view over the water. For the fireworks, the far ends of the bay are less crowded and the sound arrives a half-second late, which is part of the fun.
• Getting home: buses and taxis are the bottleneck on both nights. Decide before you go out how you are getting back.