One or two weeks after the Holy Week, the Seville Fair or April Fair (“Feria de Abril” or “Feria de Sevilla”) starts. This is the Sevillian fair par excellence! It is the event of the year for many Sevillians, Spaniards and foreigners; such is the interest it generates. Moreover, it has been declared Festivity of International Tourist Interest. Quite impressive, right?
The April Fair is celebrated for a week in the Sevillian district of Los Remedios, in a large outdoor venue known as the Real de la Feria. This area is almost a labyrinth (especially, when you already have drunk something…). An endless number of streets where the numerous stands (casetas) are placed, through which almost half a million visitors pass (every day!), riders and horse carriages.
Next to the venue, Calle del Infierno (literally, “Hell Street”) is located. This is the place where an amusement park is set up with a considerable amount of attractions (known as “cacharritos” for the Sevillians). It is named after the infernal noise you will hear in this area due to the music, the attractions themselves and the large number of people.
Are you curious to know how the great April Fair was born? Keep on reading…
How did it all start?
We have to go back to August 25, 1846 to know the origins of the Feria de Sevilla. Two entrepreneurs already established in Seville, one from Catalonia and the other one from the Basque Country, asked the City Council to hold an agricultural fair in the city. It was authorised with a decree of Isabella II of Spain. Finally, it was carried out on April 18, 1847 in the Jardines del Prado. It was all a success!
They had a livestock and commercial nature, but the Sevillians turned them into a great party, as they danced and sang there. Thus, over the years, the commercial importance was decreasing and the party was gaining in size. From the twentieth century the fair has lost its agricultural nature. So, its more than a hundred casetas were used to eat and have fun. It was in 1949 when the first large entrance door to the Fair (the “portada”) was placed. Since then, every year it is lit up at night.
It is in 1973 when the Fair moves to the place where it is celebrated today, to the Real de la Feria in the neighbourhood of Los Remedios. What at first were a hundred casetas have now become more than a thousand! At first, these casetas were something very similar to a barn. However, as the years went by and the fair became more festive, they became what they are today. Some rooms with cloth walls where they dance to the rhythm of flamenco (many of them have a “tablao”, a small stage for dancing). Meanwhile, delicious tapas and fresh rebujitos come and go. These booths are public or private. You can enter the public ones without any problem, but if you want to go into the private ones you must have an invitation or go with one of its partners.
Cuisine and more
Feria de Abril also has its own cuisine: during the wee hours of Saturday to Sunday the “noche del pescaíto” is celebrated. It has become a tradition to eat these tasty fried variety of fish. Casetas are full of Iberian ham, cured meats, cheese, seafood, Spanish omelette… For lunch, it is usual to cook typical Andalusian stews. Some examples are “papas con choco” (cuttlefish with potatoes), “caldereta” (lamb or pork stew) or “garbanzos con bacalao” (chickpeas with cod). It is also very typical to eat at any time churros or “buñuelos” (sweet fritters) with hot chocolate. We are hungry as a bear now!
Don’t forget, of course, about the drinks that go with these delicacies. Fino wine from Jerez de la Frontera, manzanilla wine from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, cold beers or the popular rebujito, typical of Andalusia. Depending on the town where it is prepared, the rebujito has its own recipe. Normally you need fino wine or manzanilla wine with soda or mint.
As for clothing, women often wear flamenco dresses. It is a fitted dress, long up to the ankle, adorned with ruffles either on the sleeves or on the skirt. The most acclaimed design is that of polka dots. Men, on the other hand, usually wear the Andalusian short suit, with hat, short jacket, shirt, pants and boots; or simply tie suit.
April Fair is very close to the bullfighting shows, since from its origins bullfights have been scheduled coinciding with the Fair. The bullfighting season begins two weeks before the start of the Fair in the Maestranza bullring.
A must while in Spain!
You can imagine the constant coming and going of people along the Real de la Feria, the desire to have fun and joy in the faces of all. This doesn’t change at night; but what does change is that the lights that are lit make the Real worthy of being contemplated and lived. The front of the entrance to the Fair is illuminated, the lanterns and light bulbs illuminate the whole enclosure and the April Fair becomes a spectacle of light and colour.
If you have never been to the April Fair, TUDESTINO assures you that you must live it at least once in your life. If you have gone before, we are sure that it is not necessary to tell you that you have to repeat the experience. La Feria de Abril has something special that will always make you want to come back!