It has been one of the questions the sector has asked itself since the Palma City Council announced its intention to bid for the title of European Capital of Culture: how will a title designed to attract more visitors to such a tourist city as Palma benefit the cultural fabric? And now the international experts who have evaluated the project have answered it: “It is clear that Palma is not looking to increase the volume of cultural programming or attract more visitors, as in both cases they have enough [...] and even understanding the local circumstances and needs, the jury wonders if the title of European Capital of Culture is the best platform to advance the city's aspirations.” This is how the report, made public this Monday, concludes, with which the committee, chaired by Tanja Mlaker, argues the decision to discard Palma from the candidates to obtain the title for the year 2031.

"A method to reconcile the city with tourism through culture." This is the summary of the project with which Palma was vying for the title of European Capital of Culture 2031 until last Friday, when the Ministry of Culture announced the four cities that would advance to the next phase, among which Palma was not included. Among the arguments that, according to Bonet, may have influenced the jury's decision are Palma's "restrained investment" compared to the finalists—82,800 euros between 2025 and 2026, unlike Cáceres' 750,000 or Las Palmas' nearly two million—and the fact that it was the first time Palma had seen itself in Palma.

A venue in the center of Palma, open Wednesday and Thursday mornings, is plastered with promotional posters. This is the latest development announced by Palma City Council regarding the project that has become the backbone of its cultural policies: the city's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2031. "Just as we've launched a website, we're opening a physical space so that everyone with ideas for this project can share them here," explained Dr. Riera, who has also joined this endeavor. The project is expected to involve operating expenses of €48 million and investments of €275 million over the next decade, according to estimates shared today, which will come from both inter-institutional collaboration and the private sector. In fact, Palma's mayor, Jaume Martínez, took the opportunity to announce the creation of an entity "with a public majority, independent artistic direction, and mechanisms for transparency and evaluation," the Palma 2031 Foundation, about which no further information was provided. It's worth remembering that the application period hasn't even closed yet, and at least 12 Spanish cities are vying for the award. The pre-selection of finalists is just a preliminary step towards receiving the recognition.

Palma's Alexander Fleming Square will host a tribute on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in memory of the musician Victor Uris, founder of the Armónica Coixa Blues Band and who died on April 3, 2024, at the age of 66. The event will consist of a concert and the unveiling of a statue. According to the City Council on Tuesday, the event, which has the support of Palma City Council, was organized at the request of residents, friends, musicians, and people who knew Víctor Uris closely.

In addition to the €332,750 public funds that the company Mallorca Live Fest will receive for the design and production of Patrona, an event organized by Palma City Council that will take place this Saturday, September 6, and which will cause the closure of the Paseo Marítimo, the same company will have the right to "set up a merchandising point during the concert," to "contract" marketing, and "the sale of drinks and food," that is, to four additional sources of income, as stated in the tender documents, which do not state that any of them will entail a reduction in the contribution planned by Cort. Nor is it expected that there will be any type of return to the City Council in any of these cases, as is the case with similar events organized by other municipalities such as Felanitx.

The Vox municipal group has submitted a request for an appearance by Councillor Javier Bonet (PP) to explain the reasons why the Flexas festival, held on 4 July in the Parc de la Mar, was declared of municipal interest. When adopting this declaration, Palma City Council took into account the need to cooperate with proposals that promote culture, understood from a contemporary and diverse perspective, linked to the demand for equality.

More than a year and a half after the mayor of Palma announced his intention to opt for the title of European Capital of Culture – which he had already announced during the election campaign – and when it has passed one month from the official presentation of the candidacy, this Tuesday, July 8th, a first meeting was held with the cultural sector. Held at the Mar i Terra Theater, this meeting served to highlight the lack of communication that exists between the different cultural stakeholders of Ciutat, as one of the attendees pointed out. "We are all fragmented and there is no communication between the public and private sectors, nor between ourselves," stated Javier Pachón, director of CineCiutat, in his speech. A particularly worrying diagnosis in this context, given that there are just over three months left to shape the first version of a candidacy project that those responsible have described on more than one occasion as "embryonic."