Spring in Seville has a special atmosphere, garlanded with the sweet scent of orange blossom and jasmine, and a frisson of excitement, as the city's two most important events take place: Semana Santa and then the Spring Fair, the Feria, which takes place in Los Remedio in the south-west of the city, next to the river. Seville's April Fair, one of Andalucía's most famous fiestas which begins two weeks after the Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week, is an opportunity for locals to dress in their best flamenco costumes and be seen strolling along the wonderfully decorated streets. Begun in 1847 as a cattle trading fair, it took only one year before an air of festivity began to transform the fair, due mainly to the emergence of the first three casetas, belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Montpensier, the Town Hall, and the Casino of Seville. During the 1920s, the fair reached its peak and became the spectacle that it is today, a riot of colour, noise, music, dancing and round-the-clock partying, attracting around one million visitors from all over Spain and far flung corners of the globe.
The fair officially begins at midnight on the Monday, and runs six days, ending on the following Sunday. Each day the fiesta begins around noon with the parade of carriages and riders carrying beautifully dressed prominent Sevillians to the bullring, La Real Maestranza, where the bullfighters and breeders meet. For the duration of the fair, the fairgrounds and a vast area on the far bank of the Guadalquivir River are covered in rows of casitas - individual decorated marquee tents which are temporarily built on the fairground. These casetas usually belong to important families of Seville, groups of friends, clubs, trade associations and political parties. From around nine at night until six or seven the following morning, at first in the streets and later only within each caseta, there are crowds partying and dancing sevillanas, drinking Sherry, manzanilla or rebujito, and eating tapas. For tourists and visitors to the city, the Feria is a golden opportunity to wander the grounds and soak in the sheer spectacle of this annual event.
Hundreds of horse drawn carriages bring lucky invited guests to the Feria,
but first saunter around the grounds for the 'paseo de caballos'
Elegantly dressed Sevillian couple dressed for the Feria
Couple arriving at the Feria on horseback, with the man wearing a 'traje corto' - short jacket, tight trousers and boots, and a hat called cordobes, and lady with her traje de gitana
Horses wear colourful pom-poms and bells, their manes and tails braided,
with some beautifully-preserved carriages are pulled by one or more horses
Children are very much a part of the parade, either as occupants of the carriages,
or even as the carriage driver
Young rider wearing dark colored riding jacket, long skirt and flat brimmed hat
sitting up very straight and confidently holding the reins in her hands
Father and son riding together
Horses clip-clopping through the streets are one of the wonderful sounds of the Feria
A bandolero carriage driver enjoying the shade on a hot Feria afternoon
Ladies being helped down from the carriage in front of the striped casetas,
each with its own hand-painted pañoleta
Dressed in ruffled dresses with fringed shawls and silk flowers in their hair,
some final adjustments are needed before arriving at the family caseta
Seville's feria is a celebration of family and friendship
One of only two Public Tents at the Feria, getting a seat at a table is close to impossible
The next best thing is elbowing up to the bar and having a beer and tapas standing up
A hot day at the Feria — a cold beer was just the thing
The menu was not sophisticated but was popular with many who would be drinking all day and night at the Feria, and needing lots of carbs
Fried chicken with patatas fritos
Seafood Paella
Croquettes and more patatas fritos
Chicken Kabobs
Pescado Frito
After a few drinks and too many tapas, our servers become like family
Young and old take to the stage and dance their best flamenco
The flamenco spirit moves in mysterious ways
Groomsman waiting with his horses
Once the carriages have dropped off their guests, they all line up along the cobbled lanes waiting for the revellers to return
Dressed in formal riding wear with top hats and shiny leather boots
A mule in full regalia with yellow and purple pom-poms and 'necklace' of little bells
For one week each year, Seville is transformed into a colourful celebration of flamenco, music and dance,
horses and bullfighting and of course, food and drink
Flamboyant flamenco dress with the traditional polka dot design - the oldest and most popular
Mothers and daughters often have matching dresses
After a full day at the Feria, we hired a horse drawn carriage to take us back to the Alfonso XIII
Arriving back at the Alfonso XIII with Mateo and Cioccolata
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