Easter Processions in Palma: Semana Santa 2026

Holy Week is almost here and Palma is already holding its breath. On Palm Sunday, the first procession of Semana Santa 2026 winds through the old town. A solemn column of men and women in long robes emerges from the Church of Sant Jaume. To the rhythm of muffled drums and trumpets and the scent of incense, the city quietly slips out of time and into something older. Here’s an overview of the most impressive Easter Processions in Palma and the full schedule of the Holy Week.

13 Easter Processions in Palma

For the next days, Palma belongs to the confraries (brotherhoods) and to the ancient drama they carry through the streets. In total, thirteen processions take place between March 27 and April 5. Each one follows its own route, its own devotion, its own pace. Feel the tension in the air as a knock on the wood signals the hidden bearers to lift the heavy paso and carefully regain their footing while the canopy begins to sway alarmingly.

Where It All Begins: Divendres de Dolors

Technically, Holy Week in Palma starts not on Palm Sunday but on Divendres de Dolors, Friday of Sorrows. On March 27, at 7 p.m., the Processó dels Estendards sets out from the Church of Sant Felip Neri. The brotherhood carries its banners through Carrer de Sant Miquel, across Plaça Major and Plaça de Cort, arriving at last at the Cathedral in a moment that signals to the whole city that Semana Santa has begun.

This opening procession is, in many ways, the most understated. There are no elaborate pasos, no teams of costaleros hidden beneath the floats. Instead, it’s a deliberate, dignified march of standards and crosses that has opened the Holy Week in Palma for centuries. Consequently, it draws a loyal crowd that knows exactly what it is watching.

Palm Sunday: Jesus Enters Jerusalem – and Palma

On Sunday, March 29, at 6 p.m., the Processó de l’Entrada de Jesús a Jerusalem departs from the Church of Sant Jaume. The route winds down through Plaça Joan Carles I, along Passeig des Born and Carrer Sant Feliu, then climbs via Jaume III and Carrer Bonaire all the way to the Church of La Concepció.

Easter Procession in Palma — Palm Sunday Procession

It is one of the most visually striking processions of the week, particularly as it moves through the streets with the evening light catching the candles. The streets are lined with people, intrigued by the silent figures with their capirotes.

Holy Thursday: The Great Procession

Everything builds toward this. On Thursday, April 2, the Processó del Sant Crist de la Sang gathers all the brotherhoods of Palma for the longest and most magnificent march of the week.

It starts at 7 p.m. at the square behind La Misericòrdia, crosses La Rambla and climbs Carrer dels Oms to Sant Miquel. From there, it moves through Plaça Major, turns down Carrer Colom, passes the Town Hall on Plaça de Cort and arrives at last at La Seu, the Cathedral. In the early hours of the morning, it then returns from the Cathedral to La Misericórdia.

Up to 4,000 people march in this procession. The pasos, enormous gilded platforms depicting scenes from the Passion, require teams of costaleros working in total darkness beneath the velvet drapes. Every time a paso is lifted, the crowd applauds. Children carry long candles, others collect the warm wax and hand out small prayer cards. Some penitents even walk barefoot, some wear iron chains around their ankles. This is, without question, the most powerful night of the week.

Good Friday: Sant Enterrament

On Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m., the Processó del Sant Enterrament, the procession of the Holy Burial, departs from the Basílica de Sant Francesc. This is the most solemn procession of the Semana Santa, commemorating the death of Christ.

God Friday Easter Procession in Palma de Mallorca — Good Friday Procession

The route heads through Plaça de Santa Eulàlia, Plaça de Cort, the streets of Sa Gerreria, and finally to the Church of Nostra Senyora dels Socors, where a ceremony marks the close of the week’s processions.