When you walk through the doors of Pirates Adventure in Magalluf, you enter a world built on laughter, spectacle and decades of hard work. For owner Catherine Sasson, the woman at the helm of one of Mallorca’s most enduring entertainment institutions, success has never been about standing still, it’s about moving with the times while never losing sight of what really matters: making people happy.
“I’ve been running Pirates for seventeen years now,” she says, pausing to smile at the thought. “My dad ran it for twenty years before me, so it’s been in our family for nearly forty. It’s my baby really, I never planned it that way, but here I am.”
The theatre that once hosted rowdy party nights now welcomes families, corporate clients, and even Spanish seniors from the mainland. Pirates Adventure has evolved into something much broader than a summer show. Under Catherine’s direction, it has become a symbol of adaptability in an ever-changing tourism landscape.
A legacy built on work, not luck
To anyone who assumes Pirates’ longevity comes from habit or heritage, Catherine’s answer is simple: work. “People think it just happens,” she says. “But you only get it because you work for it. You have to keep reinventing yourself, in marketing, socially, creatively, everything. It never ends.”
That philosophy runs through everything she does, from developing new show formats to creating entirely different events. One recent booking, she laughs, pushed even her creative limits. “We have a toilet supplier asking for a display outside the theatre for a corporate event we are hosting soon for example. He’s inviting his clients to the show, and then as they leave they will walk through an exhibition of his new models. I said, are you serious? And he is, and why not? The theatre’s there, as a business we have to be inventive of how we use it out of season.”
It’s that willingness to say yes, to stretch the space and the brand, that has kept Pirates relevant. Beyond the main show, there’s Reloaded, the “club experience”, Gringos, the adults-only bingo party experience, and the Family Rave, a Saturday early evening event that Catherine says is perfect for parents. It’s a great product,” she says. “You feed them, wear them out, and get them home for a bath and bed. It’s not like going to watch the Adventure Show which you might do once a year, you can come every month if you want to the Family Rave, and it’s different each time.”
The secret: never stop reinventing
Pirates Adventure has weathered storms and Catherine has never lost momentum. “You have to nurture every idea,” she says. “If something doesn’t work, it’s not a failure, it’s part of trying. Standing still is the danger.” Next year the theatre plans to open earlier and close later, adding six extra weeks of business and expanding its offering with shows in Spanish for the first time. “We’ve got senior citizens from Calvia coming, and we’re doing Adventure in Spanish. It’s about using the theatre as much as possible and reaching new audiences.”
Catherine’s business philosophy is “It’s not about luck, she says, but about showing up. “If you put in the hours, if you care about what you’re creating, things happen. That’s it. It’s not glamorous, it’s simply work.”
Representing Mallorca with pride
When the ABTA Travel Conference came to Mallorca this autumn, Catherine was watching closely. “I thought it was brilliant,” she says. “The opening party at Nikki Beach was spectacular, the food, the set-up, everything. It really represented the island well.”
She’s quick to contrast the reality she sees with some of the negativity that often creeps into headlines. “There’s no reason to print bad news for the sake of it. When people say tourism is down it’s not true. We’ve had a good year. If families are quieter, the youth segment picks up, and vice versa. The hotels are full. You just have to work for it.”
Catherine is proud that Mallorca is evolving, but she’s wary of the island losing its soul. “I’m not sure about this idea of ‘elite tourism’,” she admits. “I don’t think we’re ever going to have Louis Vuitton shops lining Magalluf, and I don’t think we should. There has to be a selection of everything, something for everybody. We’ve always survived on the average family, and I am very aware that we mustn’t price them out.”
A mix for everyone
For Catherine, Calvia’s strength lies in its mix: the variety of experiences and people that make the area vibrant. “It’s like an ecosystem,” she explains. “It needs balance. You can’t have only five-star hotels, or only budget ones. There has to be a bit of everything.”
Her latest project reflects that belief. Next year she’ll launch a family package in collaboration with local attractions: Pirates Adventure, Gringos Family Rave, Western Water Park, Katmandu Park and Jungle Park, sold together at one affordable price. “It’ll be around 99 euros per person for all five,” she says. “It’s about keeping Calvia connected, supporting what’s around us. Everybody will get a piece of the pie.”
That, she says, is the key to sustainability. “You can’t just take. Everyone benefits when we share the audience: restaurants, hotels, shows, parks. It’s about creating reasons for people to come, and reasons for them to stay.”
Championing a hands-on mayor
Catherine is full of praise for Calvia’s current mayor, Juan Antonio Amengual Guasp, describing him as “a breath of fresh air”. “He’s amazing,” she says. “Very hands-on, very open, and genuinely listens. Before, there was always distance between business and the Town Hall. Now, I feel like there’s real communication.”
Amengual has invited her to join the Calvia delegation at the World Travel Market in London this November, something she’s proud to support. “For me, we want tourism in every form, people who have a lot of money and people who don’t. The important thing is that there’s an offering for everyone, and I think he really gets that.”
Catherine believes that approach, one rooted in inclusion rather than exclusivity, is the only way forward for the municipality. “If Calvia can keep that balance; affordable family holidays, quality hotels, real experiences, it will always have a future.”
From Magalluf to the world
The global appeal of Pirates Adventure continues to surprise even its owner. “We’re seeing more internationals every year,” she says. “British visitors are still our core, but now we’ve got Americans, Scandinavians, even Saudis and Qataris. Some of the royal families come to the show.” She laughs recalling that the guests often prefer to stay anonymous. “Security outside, private tables, they slip in and out quietly. But it’s lovely. It shows that the magic of Pirates translates everywhere.”
The theatre has hosted everyone from Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch to families who’ve returned generation after generation. “We’ve had people propose on stage, people tattoo our logo, honestly! I know so many who came as kids and now bring their own children. That’s the best part of it all.”
The heart behind the show
Running one of the island’s largest entertainment venues means overseeing a team of more than a hundred and forty people each season. Catherine sees them as family. “We’re tight-knit,” she says. “At the end of the season we always have a party, not a formal dinner, a proper night out for them. That’s their night, not mine.”
Even in the off-season, her focus doesn’t stop. “We close mid-November, then the office works through to December planning next year. After Reyes, we start again. I’ll take a short break to see my family, a few days in England, then to the States, but my mind is always ticking over.” Her three children are scattered across the world: Grace, a producer in London; Jack, studying in New York; and Jamie, a promising young golfer at Millfield School. “At the end of the day, I am a mum of three kids, and that’s how I think when I am thinking about the show.”
Holding on to what matters
Ask Catherine what she’s most proud of, and she doesn’t talk about numbers or celebrity guests. She talks about joy. “Imagine how many people we’ve made happy over forty years,” she says, quietly. “That’s a nice thing to think about.”
For her, the value of Pirates Adventure goes beyond entertainment, it’s about giving families memories they’ll carry home. “When people come out and feel they’ve had value for money, that’s everything,” she says. “You’re coming for the feeling. For the experience.”
And as for the future? “I think Magalluf’s got a really good few years ahead,” she says firmly. “We just have to keep working, keep adapting. The families who bought our youth packages fifteen years ago now have kids of their own, they’re our next audience. Everything comes full circle.”
Catherine pauses for a moment, thoughtful but smiling. “It’s a funny business, isn’t it? You work so hard, but at the end of the day, my job is to make people happy. That’s quite something, really. I don’t take it for granted. I never will.”