On Tuesday evening, there was a meeting at the Teatre Mar i Terra at which Palma's deputy mayor and councillor for culture, Javier Bonet, made a presentation for the bid by Palma to be named European Capital of Culture 2031.
This was the first meeting to which representatives of the cultural sector were invited and asked to contribute ideas and suggestions to be fed into the working party which is developing the bid proposal.
But rather than ideas, Bonet had to contend with criticisms. The meeting was a tense affair, one attendee remarking that, as things stand, he wouldn't award Palma the Capital of Culture, if he were an evaluator.
There was criticism of a lack of communication, the lack of equality in the working party, the lack of support for classical music. The manager of the Es Gremi music venue was critical of the fact that the manifesto for the bid didn't mention private music establishments. He wouldn't be a signatory to the manifesto for this reason. Bonet suggested that this was a "misinterpretation". The fact that they are not mentioned doesn't mean they are not included.
The impression is, certainly at present, that the bid has a lack of direction and clarity. And by contrast with other Spanish cities seeking the 2031 award, Palma seems to be well behind in presenting a coherent proposal. Spain will have a capital of culture in 2031, but Palma faces tough competition that has already thought out its bids, e.g. Burgos, which benefits from having gone through the process on a previous occasion.
The decision for the awarding of the 2031 European Capital of Culture is expected to be made some time next year.