Complete guide to the Feria de April in Seville
The spring in Seville it has a special atmosphere, the city smells of orange blossom and jasmine and is preparing for the two most important events of the year: Holy Week and the April Fair.
When returning to the Canary Islands after a month and a half, between Tenerife and Fuerteventura, instead of doing what a normal person would do I decided to take a slightly wider route.
I decided to visit Seville, discover Andalusia, go to Portugal and return from Porto.
As luck would have it, without knowing it I would have landed in Seville in conjunction with the April Fair. Don’t begrudge me. I had no idea what it was, where it took place and what it would entail.
A quick google and I discovered that my brilliant idea could be transformed into something more interesting.
Upon my arrival in Seville I am confronted with the harsh truth, Alvaro informs me that being able to entering the houses of the feria is very difficult. I don’t despair. I think back and call my sister Gaia who lives in Madrid, without really expecting too much, I ask her if she knows anyone in the city who can let me attend the party in the houses.
Two minutes later I’m online Alfonso which, for 3 days, was my key to access the Feria as I could never have imagined experiencing it. Complete with a carriage ride around the feria, evenings of dancing, rather awkward, jamon and croquettes, fried calamari and liters of wine which began to be felt as the sun went down like clockwork.
If you are planning a trip to Andalusia read the post What to see in Seville in three days
At 11 in the morning I reach Alfonso who, dressed impeccably, in jacket, shirt and tie despite the infernal heat, introduces me to his world, made up of Sivillana dancesof beer and wine, of colorful and frilly dresses, snaps of fingers and carriages as if we were living in other times.
With jeans and a black t-shirt I feel wrong in a world where, at the very least, I should have had a more elaborate hairstyle.
But let’s start from the beginning, for those like me who don’t know much about it.
What is the April Feria? And why is it so important for the city of Seville?
Seville’s Feria de April begins two weeks later Easteranother very important and evocative celebration in the city
The area in which it takes place is a little outside the center, exactly at The medicinessouthwest of the city.
The first day begins around midday on Monday, Tuesday is the first official day in which Los Remedios fills with women, men and children in traditional clothing and the streets, named after the most famous bullfighters, are filled with carriages.
The official opening takes place on MONDAY LIGHTINGor the switching on of the lights in the fairground which ends the following Sunday at midnight with fireworks.
This celebration belongs to the Sevillians and is for the Sevillianswhich is why those who are not part of families and groups of friends will hardly be able to enter the houses.
A week dedicated to celebrations, gastronomy, dancing and the desire to have fun, as if these were new in Andalusia (seeing is believing!).
The Feria de Abril is certainly one of the most famous popular festivals in Seville.
Born in 1847 as wild beastand then to become an important social moment for the Sevillians who for the rest of the year seem to think of nothing else.
More than 1000 boxessmall houses, are installed and become private homes in which the owners share days of celebration and rivers of alcohol.
The houses are owned by the members, and are transformed into family and private areas where only friends and relatives are invited.
They are intimate and private places, which is why it is difficult to enter if you do not know the owner or a friend of this one.
Inside there is dancing in sevillea, a sort of flamenco, you eat, chat and celebrate surrounded by women dressed as gypsies, men as campesinos while the streets are full of buggies, horsemen and carriages.
This is also the week of bullfights, at the bullring Maestranzaan event that Andalusians care about and which they experience as an essential tradition of the region, at least for the Andalusians with whom I had the opportunity to speak about it.
PS. I did not participate or take part but if you are interested in taking part in a bullfight you can buy tickets online at the official website Seville Bullfighting Ticketstickets starting from €25 up to €170 per person (Click here for prices).
Things happen during the April Fair
The Lighting of the Fair
The grand official opening event of the Feria de Abril is “el Alumbrao”, which begins every year with the lighting of millions of street lamps and lamps, most of them in the main entrance. The feria officially begins on Monday at midnight, two weeks after Holy Week, and ends with suggestive fireworks on the following Sunday at midnight.
We dance, we eat, we get drunk
Maybe you don’t know it but Andalusians are genetically modified beings.
The key word in Andalusia is fiesta followed by tapas and cerveza or vino tinto. Then again fiesta.
Whether you want to go out at 3.30 in the morning on a Tuesday you will always find someone around eating, drinking or, sorry for the repetition, having a party.
The Feria is an event in which these Andalusian habits are raised to the nth degree in which, if you are not prepared for the alcohol that will be offered to you (if you are a guest of the lodge), you risk ending the day like myself, staggering and with a strange feeling of nausea.
The houses (casetas) of the Feria – The private houses and the public houses
And here comes this place that is so coveted by anyone who takes part in the feria, the little house or the place where the party is experienced from inside the 1000 little houses.
To have a private house you sometimes put yourself on the list for years, pay thousands of euros but then have the privilege of having your own space in which to invite friends and share this event with.
These are private homes, just like your home, where you obviously don’t want to invite just anyone but only a select group of people.
This is why it is almost impossible to enter a small house, even less multiple houses, if you don’t have the right contacts.
In this second case, then in addition to being on the streets, there are alternatives public houses which are usually owned by political parties or city districts, unlike private houses they are larger and their purpose is to accommodate those who have no invitation to the house.
The “Calle del Infierno” amusement park
Next to the feria there is a large park called the street of hell, Ferris wheels and other traditional and more adrenaline-filled funfair attractions, a place for children, inside and out.
Dove if you have the Fair?
The Feria de Abril takes place in the city’s fairgrounds on a plot of approximately 1,500m x 700m, just outside the city center in the THE MEDICINES. The neighborhood is easily accessible by public transportation, which in itself is a wonderful introduction to what’s to come once you arrive.
To calculate tram, bus and metro routes Click here.
To go or not to go?
The feria is a magical and beautiful event and even if you don’t have access to the houses it is worth discovering, even if only for one day and in any case remember that you are always welcome in the public houses.
I would also add that April is usually a wonderful month to visit Andalusiaso if we manage to combine this event even for just one day I’m sure that the memory of this land will be even more beautiful than it would already be on “normal” days.
Even if I hadn’t had the chance to enter the private houses, I believe that even just one day is worth it.
It’s true that there are fewer people and that in truth you can feel a little excluded, it’s an incredibly exclusive event even if it doesn’t seem like it at first glance, but regardless of the house or not, people are sociable and more than happy to have fun in the company of “strangers” who are happy to make us part of an event of which they are very proud.
Pro della April fair
- It is a unique event in all of Europe
- If you have the opportunity to enter the private houses, discover an Andalusia that you don’t expect
- If you love photos this is the right place!
Cons of the April feria
- Yeah man
- If you don’t know someone you have no chance of entering the houses
- It’s very crowded
How much does one day of Feria cost?
The following approximate costs are intended if you want to experience the feria in the Sevillian style, that is, with gypsy dress, horses, tapas inside the houses and rivers of beers or wine!
The woman is the one who spends the most, especially if the dress and accessories are bought.
In general a dressed as a gypsy costs around €400, a basic model, obviously prices can reach up to €1200. Accessories (shawl, hair accessories, shoes etc etc) can cost up to another €200.
Alternatively, it is possible to rent the dress for the occasion, but it is a good idea to organize well in advance for this too.
Eating and drinking costs a little more than if you did it outside the fair, drinks cost around €3 and cold cuts around €10/12.
Sleeping is what will surprise you, the costs triple and everything reserved is registered weeks in advance, the idea of trying the last minute is a bit risky. I recommend booking well in advance.
To find out the exact dates of the Feria de Abril, this is the reference site: April Fair
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