Art and Culture

Candlelit Alaior

If we were to narrow down the very epitome of romanticism in an object, this would be a candle. But what if there are thousands of them? It is this romantic, mysterious but above all unusual aspect that Alaior achieves during its candlelit nights. The electric lighting is switched off, with the town’s buildings and streets now bathed in dim candlelight that casts intimate shadows and a completely different atmosphere.

Turning off the lights

In our human desire to illuminate everything and with the discovery of electricity in the 19th century, the streets of any city look spotless at any time of the night. But they also lose out on some of the charm of a starry sky. With electric light, textures disappear, colours still glow as if it were daytime and the mystery of the past is indiscernible.

That’s why, with the intention of recovering the look of the city two centuries ago, we celebrated our first Candlelit Night in Alaior in 2019. The occasion is both simple and mysterious at the same time: throughout the historic centre, the electric lights are switched off to give way to the warmth of thousands of candles lit at ground level.

The aim of such a romantic evening is twofold. On the one hand, it proffers the historical centre of Alaior a different and unique activity in the Balearic Islands, one that is almost unique in Spain, and which promotes walking to contemplate the architecture with different eyes. On the other hand, there is the obvious energy impact of tuning off the town lights for a few hours. In fact, local residents are even encouraged to collaborate by not using light bulbs in their homes and replacing them with all kinds of candles and tapers.

The route

The Candlelit Night was launched in 2019, but was not implemented in the last two years because of the pandemic. But it’s back bigger than ever now. A total of more than 4,000 candles are placed in the historic streets of Alaior, with municipal workers lighting them one by one. A task that, in view of the result, gives the town a magical aura along the route in which these candles are lit.

If you fancy a romantic stroll with your partner, make a note of the streets that will be the setting for this display of candlelight and warmth this summer. And the points where this atmosphere will be accompanied by live musical and artistic performances: Carrer Nou, Dalt ses Penyes, Costa des Pou, Dalt es Fossar, Pla d'en Borràs.

The dates for these candlelit nights this summer are: 30th June, 7th and 28th July, 18th and 25th August. Shall we kindle the curiosity and mystery around Alaior?

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