The Associació de Joves d’Eivissa (Ibiza Youth Association) has called for a ‘Xindriada Popular’ at Cala Saladeta this Sunday, August 30, as a protest against overtourism and the growing pressure on Ibiza’s beaches and public spaces.
The gathering, in the municipality of Sant Antoni de Portmany, is expected to begin at around 8 or 9 a.m. Organisers are calling on residents to come together on the beach, share watermelon, read a manifesto and demand the recovery and protection of Ibiza’s public spaces.
“Everywhere you look, it’s tourists,” the association says in a message shared on Instagram, encouraging residents to head to Cala Saladeta for “a refreshing slice of watermelon” and to demonstrate that “public spaces will always belong to us.”
The event is deliberately presented as a festive and community-based protest, rather than a conventional demonstration. “Why not turn a scorching summer morning into a refreshing day?” the association asks, inviting families, friends and neighbours to swim, enjoy the beach and make a political statement at the same time.
The organisation’s message is clear: “Our island is not for sale.”
Ibiza residents want to reclaim their public spaces
The Ibiza Youth Association argues that local residents are finding it increasingly difficult to enjoy places that have traditionally been part of everyday life on the island.
“How many times have we seen our own spaces stop being places for the people of Ibiza?” the group asks. “How long will we accept that enjoying our island is becoming increasingly difficult?”
At the heart of the campaign is a broader criticism of seasonal tourism and the impact of mass tourism on local residents. The association rejects the idea that people who live in Ibiza should only be able to enjoy their beaches and other public spaces once the tourist season is over.
“We should not only be able to enjoy it from November to March. We also have the right to enjoy it in summer, spring and autumn,” the organisation says.
The Xindriada Popular at Cala Saladeta is therefore intended not simply as a social gathering, but as a symbolic act of reclaiming spaces that residents feel increasingly excluded from during the peak tourist season.
“Laughing with friends, coming with your family, swimming and enjoying our beaches is also an act of protest,” the association stresses.
A watermelon gathering against overtourism in Ibiza
Participants are being asked to bring breakfast, snacks, food and plenty of water to stay hydrated, as well as sun cream to protect themselves from the August sun.
The event combines a relaxed summer tradition with a political message about overtourism in Ibiza, access to beaches and the right of local residents to enjoy their own island.
“Public spaces are not for sale, and neither is Ibiza,” the Associació de Joves d’Eivissa concludes in its call to action.
The initiative also follows a similar line to that of ‘Brunzit’ in Mallorca, a platform that this year revived the idea of residents gathering every Wednesday for a popular ‘sopar a la fresca’—an open-air dinner—in different touristified squares across the city. Both initiatives seek to turn everyday social activities into a way of reclaiming public spaces in areas affected by mass tourism.