Festes de Sant Lluís (Patron Saint Festival)
Sant Lluís's traditional patron-saint fiesta, the highlight of the town's summer. Expect the spectacular jaleo of caixers (riders rearing horses through the crowd to live fabiol music), giant figures and float parades, open-air dancing, and a midnight fireworks display over two days.
Sant Lluís is a small, oddly French-feeling town in the south-east of Menorca, and for two days at the tail end of August it hands itself over to the horses. The heart of it is the jaleo: black-clad riders, the caixers, walking their mounts into a packed square and rearing them up over the crowd while a fabiol pipe and drum keep the rhythm going. People press in close, reach up to touch the horses, and somehow nobody seems to mind the chaos.
Around all that you get giant papier-mache figures, float parades and dancing that runs late into the night. The drink to have in your hand is pomada, the local gin-and-lemonade, and it goes down dangerously easily. It closes with fireworks near midnight. It's free, loud and properly local, so go early to get a decent spot.