In the Mallorca of late Francoism, the revolution began in La Calatrava, a small neighborhood of Palma located between the cathedral and the Baluard del Príncep. Antoni Rotger Martínez was its alma mater. “I no longer recognize – he laments at 80 years old – the streets where I grew up and played with other children. There are tourists everywhere and, because of gentrification, many of my former comrades in struggle have had to leave. This was a rundown, working-class neighborhood, and now it is prey to the real estate speculation that the entire island suffers from”. In 1975, this man from Calatrava, of the 'pedra picada' style, was 32 years old and, with Franco agonizing, he already led the neighborhood mobilization against the construction of a large parking lot for tourist coaches in front of the Cathedral. The cry of protest was ‘Park YES, parking NO’. Due to that pressure, in May 1976 the City Council rectified and gave way to a competition of ideas for the design of the current Parc de la Mar, which was inaugurated in 1984.

The cancellation of Canamunt and Canavall by Orgull Llonguet, that bar Flexas is not organizing its traditional festival this year, and the controversy between the City Council and Ben Amics over the LGTBI Pride festival seem to mark a specific pattern. The involved collectives denounce a lack of support and generalized interest from the City Council. Is it just a coincidence or is the municipal programming displacing the associative fabric that for decades has given life to Palma's popular festivals?

The Palma City Council has responded today to the announcement by Orgull Llonguet regarding the suspension of the organization of Canamunt and Canavall and has assured that it has not modified its support for the festival. The City Council states that, as every year, the management of the festival is carried out through a public call in which the entity presents its proposals, among which the Canamunt and Canavall proposal was usually included.

Orgull Llonguet will not organize this year the Canamunt and Canavall festival. The entity assures that it has made the decision after noting the ever-increasing difficulties in keeping the project alive and argues that it needs to "take a step back in order to move forward". This cancellation occurs just after the latest controversy of the Palma City Council with the organization of Pride and another resounding cancellation, that of the Flexas bar party in the Parc de la Mar.

Mallorcan actress Clara Ingold will deliver the opening address for the San Sebastián festivities, organized by the Orgull Llonguet collective, which has prepared a program of activities to celebrate Palma's patron saint independently of the official events. The celebrations will kick off on Sunday with three days of festivities, including the traditional "longuetadas" (a type of street party) at various locations throughout the city and the appearance of the giant papier-mâché figures Pep Toni Rubio, Bel Rotlet, and Miquel de sa Pelleteria, accompanied by traditional Mallorcan musicians. According to a statement released by the collective, the Revolta Llongueta (Llongueta Uprising) will begin on Monday at 11:00 PM with Ingold's address in front of the Bellver Winery, followed by a parade of the giant figures and the dragon from Na Coca, with music provided by the brass band 1ronda+. The party will continue along La Rambla to Plaça Weyler, with a DJ set by Jaume Colombás until 3:00 AM. On Tuesday at noon, in Plaça de París, there will be a vermouth gathering with DJ Random Nancy.