PALMA (dpa-AFX) - The beer king at Ballermann on Mallorca has kicked off the season in the German vacation stronghold with a four-day opening party. There will probably be long queues at the entrance in the coming days. According to the T-shirts that the beer king will be handing out to partygoers on Wednesday evening, pink is clearly the trend color of the summer. Sweaters are also in high demand at the moment, says the saleswoman at the souvenir stand. This is probably due to the weather. On Germany's favorite vacation island, it's currently around 20 degrees during the day, but temperatures are still only in the single digits at night. The sky is also gray. That doesn't detract from the party atmosphere. At the start of the four-day opening on Wednesday, the Bierkonig is almost bursting at the seams.

"It's incredibly full. I thought it would start off rather quietly," says Marcus Aurelius. The Berliner runs the "Suffgeschwader" association. The name has been the program since 2002. "The opening is, of course, a must-attend event, although we have always saved ourselves over the winter with short stays in Mallorca." More holidaymakers are likely to arrive in the coming days. "It is to be expected that there will be admission stops for the concerts. If you don't arrive in time, you don't stand a chance," says Aurelius.

The opening got off to a rather leisurely start. For the first time this year, there was also a lunchtime concert at the Bierkonig. A concept that the party temple has copied from its big competitor, the Megapark. It will probably take some time to get used to. Because it was rather empty at that time. "I almost feel a bit sorry for the acts that are on stage at Bierkonig and Megapark in the afternoon, because some of them don't even get noticed," said Ballermann star Mickie Krause. "Young audiences are more impatient and no longer feel this star hype. They almost don't care who's on stage."

Although that is only partly true. What Mickie Krause is to the Megapark, Peter Wackel is to the Bierkonig. The big figurehead. It's packed when the "Malle is only once a year" singer performs. "It was a struggle to get through the aisles," says Aurelius. The pop singer from Erlangen brought the audience to such a boil that even children's songs were celebrated afterwards. The theme song of the gummy bear gang was followed by Pipi Longstocking and Maya the Bee.

And what will be the party hit of 2024? "Good question, I don't see a clear candidate like "Layla" in 2022 or "Inselfieber" in 2023," says Aurelius, who himself DJs at the Ballermann in the small "MK Arena". "'Herz macht Bamm' by Tream and Mickie Krause's 'Mehr Promille als IQ' would be my favorites."

Although the opening evening was sporty towards the end. The disco was transformed into a sports bar for Bayern's Champions League quarter-final against FC Arsenal. But this is just a snapshot. In the coming days, weeks and months, there will be plenty of partying on the Playa. After the Bierkonig, the Megapark will follow suit next week with its season-opening party./rpz/ro/DP/zb