Seville Spring Fair, (Feria de abril de Sevilla)

The Seville Spring Fair, (Feria de abril de Sevilla) is here again.

Seville Spring Fair

Held in the Los Remedios area, an open area to the southwest of the impressive capital of Andalucia every year. The fair begins two weeks after the Semana Santa(Holy Week)

Each day the fiesta begins at midday with a stunning parade of carriages and riders, carrying Seville’s leading citizens making their way through the City Streets to the bullring, La Real Maestanza , where the bullfighters and breeders meet.Here you will be able to see bullfights on a daily basis which are generally considered the best of the season if that is of intrest.

Seville  held its first fair on the 18^th April 1847. It was originally organized as a livestock fair by two City councillors, Jose Maria Ybarra and Narciso Bonaplata but after just one year the first casetas ( individual decorated marquee tents which are temporarily built on the fairground) emerged adding an air of festivities to the fair.

During the fair, the fairgrounds, a vast area on the far bank of the Guadalquivir River are totally covered in rows of casetas.  Some of these casetas belong to the prominent families of Seville, some to groups of friends, clubs, trade associations or political parties. Some of these casetas have gained considerable fame over the years.

One of the best known and most populsr is El 77 which was originally situated on plot 77 This caseta famous for the sevillanas and flamenco on offer, with wine drawn from wells and dispensed from buckets.

From around nine at night until six or seven the following morning, at first in the streets and later only within each caseta, you will find crowds partying and dancing “Sevillanas” drinking Jerez sherry, or manzanilla wine, and eating tapas.

The  spectacle is extraordinary, and the dancing with its intense and knowing sexuality, a revelation. Most infectious of all is the universal spontaneity of enjoyment. After wandering around staring at the crowds you wind up a part of it, drinking and dancing in one of the open casetas which have commercial bars.

Among these you’ll usually find lively casetas erected by all manner of clubs and societies including various anarchistic groups. Some are “entrance by invitation only” others more welcoming. The “caseta municipal” is run by the town hall, and is one of the largest and always open to everyone, but it can be completely full if a well known band or singer is on stage.

At the Spring fair, the men dress in the traditional “traje de corto”(short jacket, tight trousers and boots and the woman look stunning dressing  in “faralaes” or “trajes de flamenco” (beautiful flamenco style dresses)

The dates of of this years fair have been announced as the 28th April – 3rd May

The tourism deparment have a great website where you can get further information about the fair,genral information on the city and what else Seville has to offer

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