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Areas Urbanism & territory, Tourism and Economic activities Tourism planning and Economic activities Diverse spread of activities to celebrate Christmas on Formentera

Diverse spread of activities to celebrate Christmas on Formentera

foto-cartell-nadal-20191The Consell de Formentera unveiled its activities programme today for the upcoming Christmas holidays. For over more than a month beginning Friday, 29 November, programming will include activities for children and youth, fun-for-the-whole-family stage productions, and quirky Christmas-themed entertainment.

Formentera's president, Alejandra Ferrer, took the opportunity to wish islanders a happy holiday season, and highlighted "a very special wish" from across the Consell: "Let equality rein in 2020 and beyond".

Christmas Market
At 7.00pm this Friday, 29 November, Plaça de la Constitució will once again be the centre of action as things kick into gear with the start of the island's 2019-2020 Christmas Market. Afterwards it’s a very special concert from Aires Formenterencs in commemoration of thirty years performing. The show starts at 8.30pm on Friday in the Sala de Cultura-Cinema.

Commerce chief Ana Juan described the market as “a holiday meeting point and a way to amp up the Christmas shopping selection as islanders hunt down gifts”. Two stalls at the market specialise in toys, Christmas gift baskets, kids’ fare and other items, while seven others offer food and drinks. The market is open until 7 January with occasional live music and programming for children.

Culture chief Susana Labrador held child-friendly entertainment up as a standout feature of the programme, “but it doesn't stop there”, she insisted. “There are also numerous cultural productions, musical performances and other programming to make sure that even adults will have fun at the holidays”, she said, while underscoring the “ever-present role of tradition in such festivities, too”.

Fun for kids
If you're a youngster, Mini Nadal at 5.30pm on Friday, 29 November, is the real start of Christmas. Things get started with a story-telling session titled Conta'm el món, with Clownidoscopio's David Novell. There will also be daily sessions of painting and fun with toys from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Monday programming includes story time and workshops on plasticine, painting and mask making.

On Wednesday, 4 December at 4.30pm, the Sant Ferran library connection (Punt de Lectura) will host a workshop where kids can put recycled materials to work making Christmas arts and crafts.

Friday, 6 December, at 7.00pm in Sa Senieta festival tent, Sant Francesc youngsters can check out a concert from the Ramonets, an educational tribute to The Ramones that leverages Catalan-language adaptations of the punk-rock legends’ original material. The blend of rock'n'roll, learning and entertainment is for kids and families alike.
 
Then, on Friday, 13 December, in the church-front square in Sant Ferran, pupils from primary schools in La Mola, Sant Francesc and Sant Ferran and Marc Ferrer High School will be joined by the municipal band in hosting an evening of Christmas carols, or nadales. Immediately afterwards there will be gluten- and lactose-free hot cocoa served as well as a local signature treat, coca dolça.

No Christmas on Formentera would be complete without Diverespai. From 14 to 18 December, local youngsters will get their fill of fun with a wide-ranging activities programme in the fitness facility. Diverespai is open from 9.30am to 1.30pm and 4.00pm to 8.00pm.

On 17 and 18 January, the thirteenth Mostra d'Espectacles Infantils offers local kids a variety of culture-infused on-stage entertainment. FestucTeatre starts off the series on Friday with El carretó de contes, a story-time event. It's a journey to the world of insects, beetles, wasps, spiders, dragonflies and other critters that help our hero find her way.

The session happens on Friday, 17 January, at 6.00pm in the Marià Villangómez library.

Next day, the same troupe puts on Adéu Peter Pan, an admixture of puppets and live actors that is at once heart-felt and light-hearted, winning over viewers young and old with a stage design that captivates from the very jump. Adéu Peter Pan is a timeless tale for the whole family. The show starts in the Sala de Cultura-Cinema at 6.00pm. Admission is €5 for children, free for adults.

During school hours on Monday, 19 January, the troupe La Impaciència will put on their 2019 Bòtil Prize-winning La minyonia d'un infant orat.

Casal de Joves
Friday, 20 December, the Casal de Joves will host a demonstration of street dance from 4.00pm to 6.00pm in Plaça de la Constitució. This holiday season there will be plenty of activities tuned for teens as well. Take, for example, Christmas decoration workshops on 13 and 14 December, and, on Friday, 3 January, an afternoon of hot cocoa known in Catalan as a xocolatada.

Evening of concerts
As for show-stealing acts, the 2019-2020 Christmas programme has got a few, too. Joven Dolores and Itaca Band will be in Sa Senieta festival tent, doing just that, on 14 December.

Joven Dolores was brought to life by the union of singer-guitarist pair David Serra and Joan Barbé with the rhythm section composed by Frederic Torres (bass) and JC Marí (drums). Unlike anyone else on the domestic music scene, Joven Dolores don't just play songs to pull on heart strings, they deliver guaranteed high-octane performances. A product of 21st-century rock, Joven Dolores' first album reads like a litany of references to their youth, anchored by reflections on the power of positivity, on human relations, on the importance of women and their situation today.

Wrapping up the evening, it's the Itaca Band. The Catalan group have made a name for themselves blending apparently disparate musical styles, and are known for concerts most readily compared to hurricanes. Anthems like “Temerari”, “Ara i aquí” and “Com si no hi hagués demà” are irresistibly catchy, and will have the entire crowd dancing and singing along. Masterfully crafted lyrics in Spanish and Catalan, Jamaican rhythms, overdriven tempos and the surging energy of the group's brass section are all part of what makes Itaca Band guaranteed crowdpleasers.

Live Nativity scene and Father Christmas
Saturday, 14 December, the children of the Virgen Milagrosa school will stage a live Nativity Scene at 4.00pm in the Sala de Cultura-Cinema, and on Thursday, 19 December, children of Formentera will be treated to a visit from Father Christmas at a 5.30pm party in the Sa Senieta tent. The latter event will conclude with a gluten- and lactose-free xocolatada.

Traditional activities
In a nod to homespun culture and tradition, at 10.00am on Saturday, 21 December, Es Forn Gastronomy will host a culinary workshop in Jardí de ses Eres centred on the Christmas classic, Salsa de Nadal. On Thursday, 26 December, the Three Kings' Association injects new life into old traditions for the Mitjana Festa de Nadal. Mass will be observed, followed by holiday singing, traditional dance and a concert at the Sa Senieta tent.

Evening festivities
The evening of Saturday, 21 December, the Three Kings' Association celebrates its tenth Christmas on the island with entertainment for young ones, song, dance, good music and barbecue in the festival tent. Revellers are invited back to Sa Senieta one week later, from 8.30pm on 28 December, for an evening of concerts hosted once again by the Three Kings' Association.

Sant Ferran will remain the centre of attention on New Years' Eve, la nit de Cap d'Any, as islanders bid farewell to 2019. The New Years' celebration kicks off one hour into the new year, ringing in 2020 with cover songs at the hands of Dalton Bang, a band of musicians with just one objective: to deliver unparalleled party wherever they play. It's a guaranteed night of dancing, merriment and, above all, whether seventies hits or party anthems of today, good music. Next comes French record-spinner Tom Costino, shutting the night down with music that will make a dancer out of everyone within a 200-metre radius.

Visit from the Three Kings of the East
At 5.00pm on Sunday, 5 January, Formentera welcomes a yearly visit from the Three Kings of the East. The cavalcade will pull in first at La Savina before setting out on their tour of the island. Bover Circus will be along for the ride as well, performing their show Or, encens, mirra i CIRC ("Gold, incense, mirth and CIRCUS"). Full of magic, theatrics and humour, the production showcases the range of disciplines that make up the circus, all with a heavy dollop of Christmas spirit. The show is overseen by a master of ceremonies who will have spectators jumping and laughing no matter what their age. This year the cavalcade will tie up at the commercial dock on the Passeig de la Marina in La Savina. The retinue's first scheduled visit is at 7.00pm in the Sant Francesc square, with stops to follow in Sant Ferran (from 8.00pm) and La Mola (from 8.30pm).

Group exhibition
From 2-7 December, island artists come together to pay tribute to David Vergara with a Christmas exhibition. The show is open Monday to Saturday, 11.00am to 2.00pm and 5.00pm to 7.00pm. Contributing artists will be on hand as the exhibition opens, Monday 2 December, at 8.00pm.

Award for best shop-window display
In 2019, the Eivissa-Formentera chamber of commerce- and Consell de Formentera-sponsored Concurs d'Aparadorisme Nadalenc returns for the thirteen year of the annual push to promote the festive holiday spirit at local businesses. Prizes will be handed out Monday 2 December.
 
Collaborations
The Consell de Formentera wishes to thank Trasmapi. Every year, the company helps bring part of the holiday magic to the island. Thanks also go to the Balearic Port Authority, the Three Kings' Association, TalentIB and the rest of collaborators who make the holiday programme possible.

27 November 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

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