In 2020, Carnival parades were held shortly before the state of alarm. In 2021, they were cancelled. Last year many went ahead, but not in Palma. The city staged its 'Sa Rueta' children's parade but erred on the side of Covid caution when it came to the main parade.
On Sunday, therefore, 'Sa Rua' returned after three years and with all the usual music, noise, dance and colour. The parade started at La Rambla and made its way along the route to Plaça Joan Carles I to await the decisions of the jury.
The jury was assessing the costumes and the floats. Prizes in Palma are modest compared with certain municipalities - in Lloseta, for instance, the best float attracts a prize of 1,100 euros. The top prize in Palma was 450 euros for the best float.
There were parades elsewhere in Mallorca on Sunday, but the great majority of them were on Saturday. The final acts for Carnival will be on Tuesday - the burial of the sardine, one that is typically made of cardboard and set fire to rather than buried. The bonfires are then used for barbecues.