The Feria de Abril is the most popular celebration in the city and it balances out the darkness and sadness of the Semana Santa (another awesome event) as it is a colorful and cheerful festival. It’s unbelievable how in just a few weeks Sevillanos go from penance to redemption.
During 6 days and 7 nights Sevillanos spend most of their time socializing while eating, drinking and dancing. The atmosphere is lively and crowds enjoy a huge party.
To tell you the truth, there’s no other fair like the Feria de Abril. Sevilla literally devotes herself to it and Sevillanos prepare everything in a very short period of time as it starts just a few days after the Semana Santa. It’s absolutely incredible.
To help you have an amazing time, I’ve put together this ultimate guide to the Feria de Abril.
Keep reading to find out more about the festival’s history, discover how to dress the part, immerse yourself in local traditions, and learn my best tips for navigating and enjoying this festival as a foreigner!
What is the Seville fair (Feria de Abril)?
It’s a huge festival that usually takes place two weeks after Easter Holy Week. The whole city gathers at the Recinto Ferial where most of the events take place.
This magnificent party brings together all the traditions of Andalucía as local women are dressed in their colorful flamenco costumes, the bullfighting season is at its peak, the horses parade is spectacular and everyone around dances sevillanas.
Read everything you need to know about the Seville fair.
Seville April Fair dates and calendar of events
Sevillanos love traditions and enjoy following the same pattern over and over again. This is why the Feria follows the same calendar of events every year.
The paseo de caballos takes place every day. It’s my favorite event: I just love staring at these beautiful carriages and horses vaunting their gala apparels. And people’s costumes are so magnificent! I could stay there for hours…
But you can also experience el Alumbrado or enjoy the ending night amazing fireworks show.
Find out the dates of the next Feria and what happens every day.
Live the Seville Feria de Abril as locals do
We Spanish take our local festivals and traditions extremely seriously.
The Feria de Abril in Seville is one of these extraordinary and unique events you don’t want to miss.
For a full week history, culture, tradition, revelry, and Andalusian pride blend together to create a unique atmosphere and experience that is famous throughout Spain, and which you’re unlikely to forget.
Seville locals (and expats) will tell you that the Feria is kind of an insular event. This is because the casetas are mostly private, which means that unless you know someone, you probably won’t be dancing and drinking the night away in any of these colorful tents.
But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go check it out anyway.
Quite the contrary. Just follow some insider tips and you’ll be ready to enjoy the Feria just like locals do.
9 insider’s tips to enjoy la Feria de Abril
One of the things most people don’t know is that the Feria is a festival organized by Sevillanos and almost exclusively devoted to them.
You can’t imagine how many times I have encountered people coming from the rest of Spain totally disappointed after coming all the way to Seville to realize that casetas are private and there’s almost nowhere to enjoy the fiesta…
This is why regardless of whether you have friends from Seville or not, you’d better have a look at this insider’s advice guide to experience the Feria if you don’t want to end up wandering clueless around the Recinto.
Check this practical advice and make the most out of the Feria.
Seville Feria’s amusem*nt park: la Calle del Infierno
The Feria has an amusem*nt park located in an area called La Calle del Infierno which literally means Hell’s Road.
There, you can enjoy the perfect carnival with its many rides, food stalls and even a circus! It’s the perfect place to spend some free time, especially if you’re travelling with kids.
Have a look at this complete guide about the Calle del Infierno.
Seville Spring Fair glossary of terms
This short dictionary related to the Seville Spring Fair will help you have a truly authentic experience. It will certainly ease your life as a lot of words are truly unique to the Feria de Abril.
Use them while chatting and you’ll definitely sound like a local!
Have a look at a glossary of terms related to the Feria de Abril.
