A man running with his dog on a lead. Photo Credit, Zen Chung, Pexels
There´s something for everyone in Mallorca this month: sport with man´s best friend, dancing spectaculars, culinary delights al fresco, and cryptic games to get the mind buzzing
Doggie Race Returns
The fourth annual `Doggie Race´ is due to take place in Port Adriano on Saturday, October 19, in aid of the `Asociación Peluditos de Son Reus´, and is anticipated to be a fun event, with runners from across the island turning up with their dogs to complete the 2-kilometre non-competitive race.
Those taking part will run with their canine best friend through the port, united by their desire to help the animals supported by `Peluditos´, an association which aims to help those animals which find themselves behind the bars of the local dog pound. Volunteers work tirelessly, visiting and educating the dogs, whilst giving each dog a full assessment in order to provide the best possible chance of adoption.
The running event is organised in collaboration between Palma based pet supply shop Dogma and gardening centre Fronda, and will commence at 11:00. Other attractions organised to support the event include a display by the Guardia Civil Cynology Service showing how the exceptionally intelligent dogs help the police in their work, as well as an agility workshop, and other canine themed initiatives designed by Dogma with the dog loving public in mind.
For more information or to take part in the race, inscriptions can be made online through: https://sportmaniacs.com/es/services/inscription/doggie-race-2024
Ballet fights social media
The Ballet of Barcelona is heading to Mallorca to put on a dazzling show in a one off special on Saturday October 19, in the Auditori sa Màniga, Cala Millor. The ballet is called YOUCHARGEME, and comprises of seven highly skilled professional dancers from across the world.
Founder of Ballet of Barcelona, Chase Johnsey, from the United States, is an award winner dancer with years of experience, including 14 years dancing with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, whilst Venezuelan choreographer Juan Mora, who began his professional training aged 16 and graduated in 2017, is well known in the world of ballet for his stunning and unique choreography. Mora is no stranger to Mallorca, having spent some time working at the Palma Dance Centre in 2022.
The hour-long dance show is inspired by modern day living and the way technologies that didn´t exist years ago now have so much hold over our lives, in particular social media networks. The show´s name, #youchargeme is used metaphorically and ironically along with the slogan: Parallel Realities, and was chosen to reflect the fact that whilst so many people use digital technology and social media as ways to relax, in reality we need to disconnect from our devices in order to truly rest and recharge.
Tickets to the ballet are available directly from the auditorium: https://www.samaniga.es/
Tis the season for:
`Bunyols´ – otherwise known as buñuelos – which are the Mallorcan version of churros, shaped into little rings which look more like doughnuts than the long, ridged churros found in other parts of Spain. In towns and villages across the island, small stalls will be set up on evenings and weekend mornings, with locals queuing up to purchase a bag of the sweet, sugary, traditional delights. The recipe is a favourite on October 20, the Day of the Virgins, on the eve of which, traditionally, potential suitors would visit and serenade the unmarried and virgin girls, receiving buñuelos and sweet wine from the girls in return for their efforts (possibly not quite what the men had in mind…).
Other seasonal delights which can be found at this time of year include traditional autumn and Christmas treats such as roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes. Stalls can be found in markets across the island, as well as in Palma city centre, with street vendors roasting the potatoes in foil and cooking the chestnuts in a big pan until charred on the outside and soft on the inside, whilst hungry shoppers watch and wait to indulge in a warming snack.
Escape from reality
Best Escape Rooms, in Palma, promises magic, mystery, and adventure, all combined with a dash of adrenaline as visitors fight to find cryptic clues and solve baffling puzzles in order to escape from the rooms within a 60-minute time frame.
The venue offers three very different experiences, designed to be fun and entertaining for anybody aged from 8 to 99-years-old, and welcomes groups of friends and family, celebrations of any kind and work team building events.
In Hacker, visitors fight to help Interpol catch Vladamir, a terrorist hacker from the Soviet Union that has been on the run for months. In order to help Interpol, the team must entre his apartment and solve all his traps, without getting caught out themselves.
Meanwhile, in Egipcia, team members entering the room will find themselves searching for treasures in the Egyptian pyramids and catacombs, as they try to solve the mystery of the Sceptre of Anubis. The biggest challenge is escaping from the catacombs of Nefertiti, avoiding burial amongst hundreds of other unsuccessful treasure hunters.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Medieval room, in which visitors become the chosen ones to find a sacred relic, by fighting Pope Clement V´s troops in order to restore the Templar Order of Sir Robert Geremus. To restore the order, it is essential that team members recover the sacred Black Cross, or else there may be no escape.
