Palma kicked off the San Sebastián festivities this Saturday with the ringing of bells, marking the official start of the celebration, and the traditional children's performance of the Drac de na Coca. According to sources at the Palma City Hall (Cort), the city's mayor, Jaime Martínez, and the second deputy mayor and councilor for Citizen Participation, Lourdes Roca, attended the opening of the festivities. Members of the Nam Sobrado and Saravà batucada groups and the Palma Municipal School of Music participated, along with giants, big-headed figures, and devils. The xeremiers (traditional Mallorcan bagpipers) from the School of Music and Dance of Mallorca and the Estol de Gigantes, Sonadores y Bailadores (Group of Giants, Singers, and Dancers) also took part. In addition, the opening proclamation was read by sixth-grade students from the Pío XII school. The city also hosted the event symbolizing Plague Day, which commemorates Palma's resistance to the epidemic that struck the city and is the origin of the devotion to Saint Sebastian.

Palma will implement traffic restrictions in the city center this Saturday, January 10, to mark the start of the San Sebastián 2026 festivities. The closures will affect several streets around the Plaza de Cort, where the traditional opening ceremony of the festivities will take place, with the aim of ensuring the safety of attendees.

Palma now has the official poster for the San Sebastián festivities. The artist is Belén Pez (Toledo, 1984), a resident artist in Mallorca known for her diverse background and artistic vocation, according to the Palma City Council.