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If you thought the loudest party crowds in Mallorca were British, think again. Just a short drive from Magaluf, there’s another world entirely – El Arenal, or S’Arenal in Catalan – where nearly every sunburned face belongs to a German tourist. Step onto the beach and you’ll hear Europop blasting from boomboxes, see men in football shirts and women sipping beer from two-litre steins. Even the street signs and souvenir shops feel more Berlin than Balearic. While Magaluf’s bars complain about quiet nights, El Arenal is still buzzing. It’s loud, messy and unapologetically fun – and it proves that rowdy holidaying isn’t just a British export. Boomboxes, beer steins and balcony songs By late afternoon, the party starts to spill from the beach into Mega Park, the enormous open-air club at the heart of El Arenal. Imagine a British pub the size of a football pitch, but with German pop hits instead of Oasis and lager served by the bucket. Inside, people dance on benches, not so much moving to the rhythm as simply standing higher than the rest. Some are in fancy dress — matching T-shirts reading ‘Dynamo Dicht 25′ (‘Dynamo Wasted’), or wearing fluorescent swimwear and ridiculous hats with tiny umbrellas poking out the top. The music is deafening, the atmosphere chaotic, and the beer endless. “It’s 100 per cent Germans here,” shouted one waitress, barely heard over the noise. She wasn’t wrong – every chorus, every chant, every raised glass was in German. But there’s a tension brewing beneath the fun. Mallorca’s government has been trying to tone down ‘excess tourism’, banning public drinking in party zones like El Arenal, stopping late-night alcohol sales, and restricting party boats. Still, as long as Mega Park’s doors stay open, the fiesta continues. Locals have had enough For the people who actually live here, it’s not all sunshine and laughter. Long-time residents say El Arenal’s transformation into a non-stop party zone has made daily life unbearable. “There are a lot of difficulties for the people who live in S’Arenal,” said David Servera of the local association Amics de S’Arenal. “We can’t park anywhere, the noise is constant, and it makes our lives harder.” Others have gone further – one local described finding a tourist in his garden “with his underwear full of faeces.” Another complained about fights, broken bottles, and drunken visitors crawling naked through the streets. For years, the island’s government has promised to crack down. Yet, the reality is that party tourism remains big business, and German visitors – like their British counterparts in Magaluf – keep the tills ringing. From fishing village to beer capital It’s almost impossible to picture it now, but El Arenal was once a quiet fishing village. A century ago, just a few families lived near the harbour, their livelihoods tied to the sea. Then came the 1950s and 60s, the golden age of package holidays. The modest seafront sprouted hotels, bars and clubs – and before long, Mallorca was split into two camps: Brits in Magaluf, Germans in El Arenal. Some say geography played a role. The resort is just a seven-minute drive from Palma airport, and in true German fashion, convenience might have sealed the deal. Today, stroll down Schinkenstrasse (“Ham Street”) and you’ll see stalls selling German football kits, bratwurst, and Bierkönig T-shirts. In the famous beer hall of the same name, hundreds of tourists stand on tables, steins in hand, belting out songs in unison. Ask them about Magaluf, and most will shrug. “That’s where the British go,” one young German tourist said. “For us, it’s Arenal or nothing.” Same sun, different drinkers El Arenal may shatter the stereotype of the disciplined, rule-loving German. Here, it’s all about noise, laughter and lager. And if you close your eyes, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re at Oktoberfest – only with palm trees. Whether Mallorca’s efforts to clean up its image will ever reach the beaches of El Arenal remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: while Magaluf belongs to the Brits, El Arenal is proudly, loudly, unmistakably German.
