🐴⚡ ¡Calesas Eléctricas Ya! · Demonstration in Palma
The debate around Palma’s horse-drawn carriages returns to the streets this Saturday.
On 5 September, animal welfare organisations Progreso en Verde and SATYA Animal are calling for a public gathering in front of Palma Cathedral under a simple demand: “¡Calesas Eléctricas Ya!”
The protest comes after renewed attention around the treatment of carriage horses in Palma. A recent incident involving a carriage driver and a tourist who asked for a horse to be given water has once again raised questions around an activity that animal welfare groups have been campaigning against for years.
But this isn’t a new conversation.
In 2022, Palma City Council announced plans to phase out horse-drawn tourist carriages and replace them with electric alternatives, with the transition originally intended to be completed by 2024. Four years later, horse-drawn carriages remain on Palma’s streets.
For campaigners, the issue is particularly pressing during Mallorca’s increasingly hot summers, when horses can spend hours working on asphalt and in heavy traffic. They argue that electric carriages offer a way to preserve the familiar calesa experience without relying on animals to pull visitors through the city.
And alternatives are no longer hypothetical: electric calesas have already begun appearing on Mallorca.
Tradition – or something that can evolve?
Horse-drawn carriages have been part of Palma’s streetscape for generations, but the current tourist service is increasingly being questioned by residents, animal welfare organisations and visitors themselves.
The argument behind Saturday’s demonstration isn’t necessarily about erasing the image of the calesa from Palma. It’s about asking whether tradition should evolve when a viable alternative exists.
Good to Know
📅 Saturday, 5 September 2026
⏰ 11:00
📍 Carrer del Palau Reial · in front of Palma Cathedral
📣 Organised by Progreso en Verde & SATYA Animal
⚡ Demand: transition from horse-drawn to electric calesas
The gathering forms part of the wider #StopGaleras campaign calling for an end to the use of horses for tourist carriage rides.
If you’ve been following this conversation in Palma for a while, Saturday is an opportunity to make your position visible – whatever finally replaces the current model, campaigners argue that four years after the promised transition, it’s time for the conversation to become action.