Formentera fetes Sant Jaume with concerts, family entertainment and exhibitions

cartell 2021 festes de sant JaumeThe feast day of the island’s patron saint is approaching, and the Formentera Department of Culture is pleased to present a programme of hometown and international artists, musical performances, fun-for-the-whole-family shows, exhibitions and more to celebrate Sant Jaume (St James) between 13 July and 7 August.

Department chief Susana Labrador welcomed the chance to “put together a programme to make Formentera’s diada great, safe, family-friendly and traditional”.

Diada de Formentera
From 8.00pm on the 24th, the courtyard of the La Mola lighthouse will be the backdrop as the island honours recipients of the Sant Jaume Awards. Attendees must arrive 30 minutes early so seating can be done in an orderly manner.

Next day at the same time, the Sant Francesc church will hold a traditional St James’ Day Mass, followed by, from 9.00pm, a demonstration of folk dance in Plaça de la Constitució.

Cultural activities
The Sant Jaume kick-off happens Tuesday 13 July with Pilar Aldea’s “Residir l’instant” opening in two separate venues: Ajuntament Vell until 31 July, and Far de la Mola until 16 October.

The Ajuntament Vell installation features 66 photographs from the artist’s INSTANTS series and seven pieces of photo patchwork Aldea calls “residences”. The Far de la Mola experience revolves around a nine-minute video loop dubbed “COMÚ”, plus eleven other residences and the poetic text “Llàtzars”. “Residir l’instant” grapples with the permanent stillness of photography and the potential to alter it by acting on imagery.
The Ajuntament Vell show opens at 7.00pm on Tuesday 13 July, and the Far de la Mola show opens at 10.00am a day later.

As part of Cinema a la Fresca on Tuesday 27 July, islanders who catch the open-air screening of Charlie Chaplin’s Shoulder Arms will also be treated to pianist Jota Hidalgo’s live interpretation of the film’s soundtrack. The show starts at 10.00pm in Jardí de ses Eres.

Children’s activities
For family fun on Monday 19 July, D’Click’s “Isla” begins in the dreams (and hallucinations) of three shipwrecked characters who will need each other if they are to take back the reins of their destiny.

As “Isla” reflects on the wisdom of seeking refuge at sea and capsizing on an island, the show’s characters overcome the limits of their island in unlikely situations and with the strangest of strategies. Based on an earlier study of body and movement in which circus-esque devices like acrobatics and the Chinese pole function as performative languages, the show is a reminder of the thin line between physical theatre and dance, circus and risk, magic and dream.

Tickets to the 7.30pm, limited-seating production of “Isla” in the courtyard of Marc Ferrer Secondary School are available at www.entradesformentera.cat.

Musical entertainment
On Friday the 23rd, the Formentera Department of Youth presents Nit Jove, an evening of live performances starting with Miquel Tur and ending with Donuts Hole. First, Miquel Tur. Together the group’s namesake (and Formentera-born) frontman, the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya-trained musicians in Miquel Tur’s four-piece band embrace styles spanning folk and pop to deliver a full-throated, roaring repertoire of original songs and contemporary covers. Next up, Donuts Hole are a five-piece outfit that occupy the terrain between alternative metal and metal-core. Genres aside, the band wrap forcefulness, melody and ambience into a tempest of emotions.
The shows start at 9.30pm in the courtyard of Sa Senieta in Sant Francesc. Seating will be limited and all Covid health and safety measures will be enforced.

Sant Jaume—Eve and Feast
On Saturday the 24th, it’s the return of Catalan music man Ramon Mirabet. Backed by a band, Mirabet will play tracks off his third album, Begin again.
The show starts at 10.00pm in the Sant Ferran school playground. Tickets for the limited-seating event are available at www.entradesformentera.cat.

On Sunday the 25th, the five-piece band supporting pianist/composer Clara Peya promise a concert experience that is wholly unique. Peya, a pianist and composer with a frenetic life story oscillating between music, theatre and activism, is considered one of the most original creators on the Spanish music scene today.

Tickets for the 10.00pm, limited-seating show in Sa Senieta are available at www.entradesformentera.cat.

From 10.00pm on Saturday 7 August, onlookers at Sant Francesc’s Plaça de la Constitució will enjoy the time-tested Jazz a la Plaça programme courtesy of special guests Gianni Gagliardi Trio. The sound, originality and artistic integrity of the band’s Barcelona-bred leader have taken the group round the world in a flurry of situations, from jazz to flamenco.

Sports
The patron saint celebrations will include sports, too, and the John Tunks Memorial Tennis and Padel Tournament will play out on the municipal courts 23–25 July. Signups can be completed at the courts prior to 21 July and all registration fees will go to charity.

Also on Sunday 25 July, Formentera’s synchronised swim club will give a special demonstration in the Antoni Blanc Sports Centre swimming pool. Tickets to the limited-seating event can be booked in advance by calling 607 546 881.

Labrador closed by thanking the event’s collaborators, particularly Trasmapi for their support of hometown celebrations and homegrown culture. All events, activities and shows will be held in compliance with current health and safety rules to prevent spread of covid-19.

12 July 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera