The Associació Cultural Es Pastorells is celebrating its 50th anniversary after being awarded the Gold Medal of Formentera, the island’s highest civic distinction. The award was presented on 24 July during the official Diada de Formentera celebrations, recognising five decades of dedication to preserving, promoting and passing on Formentera’s cultural heritage.
Founded in 1976 at Mestre Lluís Andreu School in Sant Francesc, Es Pastorells began as an educational initiative designed to connect younger generations with the island’s elders through traditional dance, folk music and local customs. Fifty years later, that mission remains at the heart of the association.
Today, Es Pastorells brings together around 30 members of different ages, maintaining a collaborative structure where decisions are reached through consensus. This intergenerational approach has helped safeguard some of Formentera’s most distinctive cultural traditions, ensuring they remain relevant in contemporary island life.
Keeping Formentera’s Folk Traditions Alive
Es Pastorells has become an essential presence at Formentera’s traditional festivals and public celebrations. Alongside Es Xacoters, the island’s other renowned folk dance and traditional music group, its dancers and musicians perform at nearly every local festivity, religious celebration and community event.
Together, the two associations keep alive the unmistakable sounds of the flaüta, tambor and castanyoles, while preserving the island’s traditional dances in village squares and during patron saint festivities. Their performances have become a defining element of Formentera’s cultural identity and an enduring symbol of the island’s living heritage.
The Gold Medal of Formentera honours far more than five decades of activity. It recognises an organisation that has ensured the island’s traditions remain a vibrant part of everyday life rather than a chapter confined to history. Through education, public performances and community engagement, Es Pastorells continues to inspire new generations to embrace and protect Formentera’s unique cultural legacy.
