The main events on Sant Antoni Eve in Sa Pobla are the dances of the bigheads and demons and the pyromusical spectacular. These are staged in the Plaça Major, and the town hall has decided to cut the capacity for these events to 7,000.
A limitation on numbers was first introduced in 2016. Capacity was set at 15,000, and this was a response to Spain having been placed on a level four terrorist risk alert.
The security plan for the square involves police controlling its access points and the placing of barriers at these points. The chief of police, Antoni Borràs, says that when it comes to calculating the capacity, parts of the square have to be discounted, such as immediately in front of the town hall building. "Because of security measures, there can't be anyone there during the pyromusical."
Borràs adds that there have never actually been as many as 15,000 people in the square for the events of the evening of 16 January. When the "Nit Bruixa" has been on a Friday or Saturday the highest number has been 12,000. On other days it has been between 7,000 and 9,000.
All of Sa Pobla's local police force will be on duty on 16 January and will be reinforced by officers from Inca as well as from the Guardia Civil. There will also be forty Civil Protection volunteers, a fire crew and three ambulances.