The Seville Fair also called April´s fair – a must to see

One of the many wonderful things about  Andalusia is the locals have such a zest for life and enjoy their wide range of fairs, amongst them is probably the most internationally renowned Seville fair also called ” Feria de Abril” or “Feria de Sevilla ” .

The Seville fair goes way back to 1847 when it lasted for three days.  In 1952 the fair was extended to last for six days as it is of today and each and every hour is enjoyed!

The tradition says that the fair is held two weeks after the Easter celebration, so sometimes it falls within May like this year, when it takes place from the 6th of May until the 11th of May.

How can I find the fair?
The Seville Fair is held in an area which the locals of Seville call “Real de la Feria“. It is a 1.200.000m2 large area in the district of “Los Remedios” where there are hundreds of “casetas” or tents set up.  These tents can either be public or privately hosted.  If they are public anyone can enter, while the private tents require that either you are a member to the association running it or accompany someone who has admission to the tent. The streets of the fairground are all named after bullfighters and are beautifully decorated with paper lamps and literally thousands of colourful lights.

The main entrance to the fairground is characterized by a large shaped arch in the street Antonio Bienvendia.  Every year the main entrance has a new theme and this year’s theme is the “water kiosks”.  The water kiosks were built in the late XIX century when the area had serious water supply problems and many people from the countryside had to go to Seville city in order to collect water.

Over 20,000 light bulbs are used for the main entrance to the fair site and the fair is inaugurated on Monday at midnight when the lights are switched on.  This night is also called “noche de pescadito” (fried fish night) where the casetas open up and fried fish is eaten.

The gastronomy
One of the advantages of visiting the fair is that you can enjoy the great variety of tapas and Andalusian cuisine.  It is especially the Spanish cured ham (jamon serrano ibérico) and shellfish dishes that are mostly preferred – and one should not forget to enjoy a glass of chilled fino sherry or cold beer to accompany the food.

Music and dance
Dancing in the casetas spills over into the streets with almost all of the ladies in their blazing coloured flamenco dresses – the sound of sevillanas music vibrates through the fair.

Horse carriage ride at El Real
At the fairground you will see many horse carriages and riders even though the town hall  has restricted access of these so there is room for both pedestrians and horse carriages at the fairground.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get a ride in a horse carriage.

The Attraction park
Next to the fairground site there is an amusement park with attractions for children and adults. This part is called the “Calle del Infierno”  300.000m2 of pleasure and fun!

How do I get to the Seville fair?
With your Helle Hollis hire car it is easy to get to Seville.  From Malaga Airport it only takes 2 ½ hours on the motorway.  You can take the A-92 to Seville and then the bypass SE-30 to get to the fairground site.  Click here to see where the fair of Seville takes place.

Parking
During the week of the fair, the town hall has provided a public car park with space for 10,000 cars quite close to the fairground site.  Another alternative is to park the car a little further away from the fair and then take the local bus or taxi to the site.