Chiringuitos in Spain are a wonderful institution of almost iconic connotations. Beach life would not be what it is were it not for these wonderful beach bars serving cool drinks, ice creams, tapas, sangría, snacks, gambas, calamares, paella, you name it.

Running a chiringuito can be quite a stressful business. There are long hours; the season only lasts for six months in most cases, and the license to chiringue does not come cheaply by any means. A chiringuito beach bar concesión for one season can easily set you back by between 50 and 100,000 €, and sometimes even more. No surprise then that an ice cream bought from a beach bar will set you back twice the amount of its normal price. Usually, a chiringuito license is put up for auction year after year, with the highest bidder winning in most cases.

There are a total of 107 chiringuitos in the Balearic Islands, most of which – of course – are here in Mallorca. Three of these (all three in Mallorca, one of which in Alcúdia) appear to be illegal and without a proper concession; they have been ordered to be pulled down at the end of this season, one of them in Alcúdia. Not all of the chiringuitos are housed in permanent constructions; the majority of them are dismantled at the end of the season every year, to be put up again the following year.

The photo was taken in Platja Es Dolç, Colònia de Sant Jordi, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 20th, 2009. The time was 13:43:29.