Seville, Spain
Feria de Abril
A week-long city of striped tents, flamenco dresses, horse carriages, and sevillanas until dawn.
The straight answer
Seville's Feria de Abril usually runs for about a week starting two weeks after Easter Sunday, which puts it in mid to late April most years and in early May when Easter falls late.
The Feria de Abril is Seville's great spring party: a temporary town of over a thousand striped tents called casetas on the fairground in the Los Remedios district, where Sevillanos eat, drink, and dance sevillanas from lunchtime until the early morning for about a week. The women's flamenco dresses, the horse riders in short jackets and flat hats, and the carriages circling the lanes make it one of the most photogenic festivals in Europe.
Despite the name, the Feria is tied to Easter, not to April. It usually begins about two weeks after Easter Sunday, which pushes it into early May in years when Easter is late. Check the official dates for your year before booking anything.
The honest catch: most casetas are private, belonging to families, clubs, companies, and associations, and entry is by invitation. Visitors can still have a wonderful time in the public casetas, in the lanes, and at the funfair, but the Feria is richest if you know a Sevillano who can bring you in.
The event, explained
It opens with the alumbrado, when the huge illuminated entrance gate (the portada) and thousands of lanterns across the fairground are switched on at midnight, and it closes a week later with fireworks over the Guadalquivir river. The first night is traditionally the noche del pescaito, when families gather in their casetas for fried fish.
By day, the Paseo de Caballos brings horses and carriages parading through the lanes, the riders in traditional traje corto, the passengers in flamenco dresses. By evening the casetas fill with music and dancing; sevillanas, a four-part partner dance, is the social currency of the Feria.
The drink of the Feria is rebujito, dry manzanilla sherry mixed with lemon-lime soda and served by the jug, and the food is Andalusian tapas: jamon, fried fish, tortilla, and shrimp.
The Calle del Infierno is a full funfair next to the fairground with rides and stalls, and the Real Maestranza bullring holds its most important bullfighting season around the Feria.
How to play it right
- 01Book lodging three to five months ahead. Rates climb citywide during Feria week, though usually less than during Holy Week.
- 02Head for the public casetas, run by the city and the districts, which anyone can enter. They are crowded but offer the same music, dancing, and rebujito.
- 03Afternoons are for horses and carriages, evenings for dancing. The fairground is at its most beautiful at dusk as the lanterns light up; the busiest nights are the final weekend.
- 04Weather is usually warm and sunny, with highs near 77F (25C), and late April and May can push well into the 80s F (around 28 to 30C). Bring a hat and sunscreen for the afternoon.
- 05The Feria is walkable from Triana and the south of the center, and extra buses and metro service run to Los Remedios. Taxis near the fairground at closing time are scarce.
- 06Dress up if you want to fit in: many Sevillanas wear flamenco dress, and men often wear suits and ties. Tourists in shorts are fine, but you will stand out.
With kids in tow
- Daytime Feria is family-friendly: children in miniature flamenco dresses, horses and carriages everywhere, and the Calle del Infierno funfair with rides for all ages.
- Evenings in the casetas run very late and get boisterous. With young kids, go in the afternoon, ride the funfair, and head home by early evening.
- Watch for horses and carriages in the lanes, which move through the crowds; keep small children close near the main avenues.
Book your stay for Feria de Abril.
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- Hotels for April
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Vacation rentals in Feria de AbrilWhole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
- Tours and tickets
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Tours and tickets in Feria de AbrilTimed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Feria de Abril for April. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Feria de Abril, quick answers
When is the Feria de Abril in Seville?
It usually starts about two weeks after Easter Sunday and runs for roughly a week. Most years that means mid to late April, but in years with a late Easter it moves into early May.
Can tourists go into the casetas?
Most casetas are private and invitation only. The public casetas, run by the city and districts, are open to everyone, and the lanes, horse parade, and funfair are free to enjoy.
What is the best day to go to the Feria?
The opening night for the alumbrado lighting of the gate, and any midweek afternoon for the horse parade with smaller crowds. The final weekend is the busiest.
Can I visit Semana Santa and the Feria on the same trip?
Yes. The Feria usually starts about two weeks after Easter, so a long stay covers both. Expect to pay peak rates for both weeks.
What do people drink at the Feria de Abril?
Rebujito, dry manzanilla sherry mixed with lemon-lime soda, served in jugs. Manzanilla and fino sherry on their own are also everywhere.
Make a trip of it: Seville
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Best: Mar to May and Oct to Nov
The best time to visit Seville is March to May or late October to November, when it is warm and sunny without the 95F to 105F (35C to 41C) heat of July and August.
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