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Published: March 30th 2013
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Location: Seville, Spain Seville Fair takes place 2 weeks after Holy week in April. This is a flamboyant festival with the crowd in high-spirits as a recovery from the grim mood of Holy Week. Tourists and locals alike blow off steam with a complete week of eating, drinking, dancing, cheap carnival rides. This is one of the trademarks of Andalucia- the image of traditional Spain. Flamenco dresses, horses, caballeros and lovely Sevillanas. Feria can be a family-event or a drinking event. During the day, there are many activities for children for horse-riding. At night, the gate illuminates and manzanillas are served to those who want to party.
What is Seville Fair? In 2013, the Seville Fair will take place 15-20 of April. The location is on the grounds of
Los Remedios by the river in the heart of the city. Private square tents, called casetas are rented to groups and families, these are status symbols. If you are lucky enough to be inside one of these, you will see that each tent is named after famous bullfighters. Otherwise, attendees are free to walk around fair grounds.
On
opening night, the main gate is lit and the festival has begun. There are sections on the fair grounds for places for food, carnival rides and games. The afternoon is the time to see horses and the most traditional Spaniard dress. According to the season, Seville Fair marks the beginning of a Sevillian summer.
Tips and Customs Opening and closing Seville Fair opens officially on a Monday or Tuesday morning at exactly midnight. The gate is illuminated and fried fish is the traditional meal of the first night. In a frenzy, people rush into the festivities. On the following Sunday, the gate closes at midnight with a fireworks display.
Eating Although prices tend to be expensive, there is good traditional food. Choices will be limited compared to an average restaurant. Some choices are cured ham, sausage and other red meat. There is also a selection of seafood. In the early morning after a night of drinking, it is not uncommon to see some young people gathered on the
Triana bridge eating curros and chocolate.
Day or Night There are two contrasting experiences one can have with
Seville Fair. The day is best for seeing horses. You will see horse-drawn carriages in traditional dress, renting a carriage is available. This is when you will get the best photos. People are more laid-back during the day and less rowdy.
Night is for drinking and Sevillanas. Fino and manzanilla are served in maximum quantities. The crowd is younger and Spaniards don’t usually start their time on the grounds until midnight after hitting the nearby bars (unless of course, they are in a caseta). When the lights go on at midnight, it is worth getting a glimpse.
Casetas Casetas are private square tents rented out by associations, private groups, companies and well-off families. What you CANNOT do when you arrive there is enter most of the tents or
casetas, because they are private and require a previous invitation. There are a few community tents open to anyone free of charge. If you can make friends with those who are renting the
caseta, then you may have some luck. Having a
caseta is a sign of wealth- you pay for it and then invite all your friends or anyone you
want to impress
The walk The fair does not take place in the center, but on the other side of the river is
Los Remedios. It may be up to a 30 minute walk depending on where your hotel is.
Some simple directions:
Cross the bridge to
Plaza de Cuba, then keep going straight a few blocks and then take a left. You cannot miss the illuminated gate.
Rides and games These are not too different from U.S. state fair grounds. Games and entertainment are a bit hidden. You have to take a walk down to a street named
calle de infierno (road from hell) where you can get the constructed rides balanced on wooden blocks. There are typical carnival games. Of course, there is plenty of cotton candy!
Sevillanas With plenty of music and dancing, may visitors notice the remarkable flamenco music and dancers, the Sevillanas. Sevillanas are a variation of flamenco. They dance with a certain timing, rhythm and style of singing. It seems that every sevillano has an innate ability to dance to this style.
Petty theft WARNING: with many tourists, tight crowds
and lots of cameras to distract, it is easy to get pick-pocketed. Seville Fair can seem like an ideal place, but it won’t be once you notice your wallet is gone. Keep your belongings close to yourself and never take your eye off of them. This applies for ANY tourist attraction.
Bullfights Considering the
casetas are named after famous bull-fighters, the event would not be complete without a good old Spanish bullfight! They take place on fair grounds sporadically. If you are unfortunate to miss a bullfight, pass by the Plaza de Torros after the event, you will see the horses and carriages as they take people to the Seville Fair across the river. The bars in the Arneal, the neighborhood near the Plaza, are always full of people before and after each bullfight.
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