Seville Feria de Abril

Month : April
Place : Seville, Spain
Famous For : Traditional Festival
Attractions : Casetas (decorated marquee tents), Traditional dresses, Jerez Sherry drinks

The Seville Feria de Abril is a popular traditional fair celebrated in Spain. It's an annual event, held every year in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain. The six day long event starts on two weeks after the Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week), ending on the following Sunday. The main highlights of this festival are parade of carriages and riders, at midday, carrying Seville's leading citizens. They reach upto the bullring, La Real Maestranza, where the bullfighters and breeders meet.

Major Attractions

This grand festivity of Seville Feria de Abril traces its origin way back in 1847 when two councilors, Jose Maria Ybarra and Narciso Bonaplata organized a livestock fair. The fair was held on the outskirts of the city at the Prado de San Sebastian. The main attraction of this fair are the 'casetas', which are arranged in rows all along the far bank of the Guadalquivir River. These 'casetas' are actually the individual decorated marquee tents which are temporarily built on the fairground. The first three casetas belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Montpensier, the Town Hall, and the Casino of Seville. People use this occasion as an opportunity to wear traditional dresses. Men wear short jacket, tight trousers and boots , traditionally termed as 'traje corto'. Women wear the traditional 'faralaes' or 'trajes de flamenca'. Celebration continue from nine at night until seven in the morning, with people partying and dancing 'Sevillanas', drinking Jerez sherry, or manzanilla wine, and eating tapas.