The initiative, presented by Minister Estarellas, will be open to all town councils wishing to participate

The Government of the Balearic Islands has launched the Safe Festivities program aimed at preventing and reducing risk situations at local festivals across the Balearic Islands through public safety strategies. This new program complements others promoted by the Balearic Institute of Public Safety (ISPIB), such as the School Liaison Police, Road Safety Education, and the XPO project. It builds on pilot initiatives previously carried out during the Firó de Sóller, the Sant Joan festivities in Ciutadella, and the La Patrona festival in Pollença last year in collaboration with these municipalities.

Safe Festivities was officially presented today by the Minister of Presidency and Public Administration, Antònia Maria Estarellas; the Director General of Emergencies and Interior, Pablo Gárriz; and the program coordinator, Rafel Covas.

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The Balearic Government Launches the “Safe Festivities” Program to Prevent and Reduce Risk Situations in Municipal Celebrations

Minister Estarellas explained that this initiative responds to a significant increase in the number of public and patronal festivals held on the islands over the past 20 years, a trend that has also led to more frequent risk situations. “It was clear to us that we needed to provide new strategies and tools for local police officers responsible for ensuring safety during festivals.” She also noted that a specialised training program for local police on crowd management has been developed through the Balearic School of Public Administration (EBAP). This training has already begun and was designed based on feedback from both officers and young people who shared their experiences and challenges encountered during past festivities.

“With a clear, goal-driven program serving as a guide, and with better-trained local police forces, it becomes much easier to ensure that our towns and cities enjoy safer festivals,” said Estarellas. To promote the program, the Government will work with the Federation of Local Entities of the Balearic Islands (FELIB) and local media to ensure the message reaches all municipalities and citizens.

The Minister also highlighted that, to reinforce prevention efforts targeting younger audiences, School Liaison Police (Policías Tutor) will play a crucial role in the Safe Festivities program, delivering preventive workshops in schools across the islands. Last school year, more than 200 informational sessions were held in different educational centres, reaching over 5,000 students.

Program coordinator Rafel Covas explained that collaboration will begin immediately with the town councils of Sóller, Ciutadella, and Pollença. Starting in September, and coordination with FELIB, registration for the program will be opened to all other municipalities in the islands. For each participating municipality, a specific objectives plan will be developed. “The goal is that by January 1, 2026, all municipalities in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera will have their own Safe Festivities program in place.”

Finally, Director General of Emergencies and Interior, Pablo Gárriz, emphasized that the Government is “working to shift from a culture of risk to a culture of prevention and protection—because safe festivals are not boring festivals; they’re events where everyone can enjoy themselves knowing they’ll have fun and stay safe.”

The Safe Festivities program also includes materials to be distributed during celebrations, such as cup covers to prevent drug spiking, tote bags, fans, stickers, and an informative guide about the program.

The press conference was also attended by Neus Serra, Secretary General of FELIB; Elena Tejera, Regional Coordinator of the Addiction and Drug Dependency Plan (PADIB); and council members and police chiefs from the municipalities of Pollença, Sóller, and Ciutadella.

At the end of the presentation, the police chiefs and council members from the three towns, together with the PADIB coordinator, held their first working meeting with the Director General of Emergencies and Interior and the program coordinator, Rafel Covas, to begin designing the objectives plan for each municipality.