Sant Carlos is one of the few villages on Ibiza that has managed to hang on to most of its old-world charm. And taking part in its big annual fiesta is a real experience. There are plenty of opportunities to join in the fun, because Sant Carlos literally spends the entire month celebrating the occasion - from 1st to 29th November. Take a look at the festival calendar - and come along to sample some events for yourself.
SATURDAY 7th NOVEMBER
8.00 a.m.: Hunting competition to mark Sant Carlos’ Patron Saint’s Day celebrations.
Football matches on the municipal sports ground in Sant Carlos,
S.E. SANT CARLOS vs. C.D. PUIG DEN VALLS, (junior B league).
S.E. SANT CARLOS vs. C.D. AT. JESUS B, (junior A league).
S.E. SANT CARLOS (B) vs. P.E. SANT JORDI, (”small fry” B league).
S.E. SANT CARLOS (A) vs. RAPID AT., (”small fry” A league).
S.E. SANT CARLOS vs. S.D. PE vs. A INDEPENDIENTE, (cadet league).
S.E. SANT CARLOS vs. P.E. SANT JORDI, (children’s league).
6.00 p.m.: Gymnastics display by retirees in the square.
7.00 p.m.: Concert with 3 de la Isla.
8.30 p.m.: Dance performance with Musical Dance.
10.00 p.m.: Live music with Ricardito y los Latinos.
SUNDAY 8th NOVEMBER
10.00 a.m.: Awards ceremony featuring all of S.E. Sant Carlos’ football teams on the municipal sports ground in Sant Carlos.
10.00 a.m.: Second motocross rally to mark Sant Carlos’ Patron Saint’s Day celebrations, in Cala Boix.
11.30 a.m.: Open day at the Truy Can Andreu museum, with an exhibition of local crafts and traditional activities.
Midday: The opportunity to taste some of Ibiza’s typical delicacies. Folk dancing performance with Sa Colla de Sant Carlos in Truy.
Midday: GRAND PRIX.
2.30 p.m.: Big paella lunch in the marquee (by the church). Organised by S.E. Sant Carlos.
7.30 p.m.: Dance performance by pupils from the Angela Custodio academy.
9.00 p.m.: Rock concert with Pota Lait.
MONDAY 9th NOVEMBER
9.00 p.m.: Preliminary rounds of the backgammon championship (qualifying and elimination), in Can Anneta bar. Organised by Lluis de sa Vilda.
TUESDAY 10th NOVEMBER
9.00 p.m.: Final round of the backgammon contest in Bar de Can Anneta bar.
WEDNESDAY 11th NOVEMBER
9.00 p.m.: Big closing dinner and awards ceremony for the backgammon championship in Can Anneta bar. Organised by Lluis de sa Vilda.
THURSDAY 12th NOVEMBER
Midday: Sant Carlos’ retiree’s club celebrates its birthday.
SATURDAY 14th NOVEMBER
8.30 p.m.: Friendly match pitting singles against married men on the municipal sports ground in Sant Carlos.
We’re expecting to see you all there…!!!!!
SUNDAY 15th NOVEMBER
9.00 a.m.: Off-road motorcycle event to mark Sant Carlos’ Patron Saint’s Day festivities. Meeting point: in front of the church. Organised by the Motorbike Club of Formentera-Eivissa.
Football match on the municipal sports ground in Sant Carlos, S.E. SANT CARLOS vs. F.C. LUCHADOR (regional league).
7.30 p.m.: Concert by the Sant Carlos and Jesus parish choirs in the parish hall in Sant Carlos.
SATURDAY 21st NOVEMBER
4.00 p.m.: Mountain bike challenge to mark Sant Carlos’ fiesta. Organised by Santa Eulalia’s cycling club.
SUNDAY 22nd NOVEMBER
9.30 a.m.: Mushroom picking contest… JOIN IN THE HUNT FOR THE GOLDEN MUSHROOM…
SATURDAY 28th NOVEMBER
10.00 a.m.: Clay pigeon shooting trials. Camino de la Torre, Pou des Lleo.
8.00 p.m.: Celebrations to mark the launch of the book “Julia i sibosit, anys perduts”, the second volume in a trilogy written by Lluis Ferrer Ferrer (de sa Vilda) from Sant Carlos, taking place in the Ibiza Congress Centre in Santa Eulalia.
8.00 p.m.: Inauguration of the photo exhibition by Alejandro Mari Escalera in connection with his pictures for “Julia i sibosit, anys perduts”. In the Ibiza Congress Centre in Santa Eulalia.
SUNDAY 29th NOVEMBER
9.00 a.m.: Clay pigeon shooting championship on Camino de la Torre, Pou des Lleo.
10.30 a.m.: Communal hike, meeting point: in front of the church. Organised by the local association for the elderly.
2.30 p.m.: Big paella lunch to round off the clay pigeon shooting contest, in Cala Lenya restaurant.
SUNDAY 13th DECEMBER
7.00 h. Fishing competition con Cana to mark Sant Carlos’ Patron Saint’s Day. Meeting point: Bar Es Poble.
2.00 p.m.: Big paella lunch in Cala Lenya restaurant. Organised by Santa Eulalia’s fishing club.
The first settlement reached by the invaders in Ibiza was San Carlos and the consequences were as bloody as the ‘Red House’ right behind Anita’s Bar. The local village chaplain and his father wielding guns, accompanied by a handful of fascist supporters, were the first to offer resistance to the Republican force and paid for it with their lives. They were the first of many to follow as the Republicans yielded the island back to Franco’s forces and recriminations followed for years thereafter till the war ended. Sixteen people were executed at the ‘Red House’ in an incident that earned the house its name, whilst those of the population of both islands who were able to escape largely emigrated to less hostile parts of the globe. 
This busy little village of San Carlos found international renown as a haven for artists even before the arrival of tourism on Ibiza. It is the local shopping centre and meeting point for the whole north-eastern corner of Ibiza, when the beach resorts from Cala San Vicente down the coast to Santa Eulalia shut up shop for the winter. 
One of the most famous bars on Ibiza resides in San Carlos opposite the church - Anita’s Bar - one of the original hippy bars on Ibiza. San Carlos is still home to the letterboxes of many of those who dwell in the many fincas that adorn the surrounding countryside. For this reason, in the long years before any other telephones arrived in San Carlos, people would spend long hours collecting their mail, whilst greeting and exchanging news with their distant neighbours over a home-made hierbas? 
