Two weeks after the last procession of Semana Santa takes its final steps, the solemn atmosphere is replaced with the joy and energy of the Feria de Sevilla. The dates change each year, but you can loosely plan on late April or early May.
While cities, towns and villages across Spain gear up for their own spring fairs ("ferias"), the Feria of Sevilla is the undisputed belle of the ball.
With everything prepared in advance and ready to go, the Feria de Sevilla festivities get underway with a quick flick of a switch. To mark the beginning of the highly anticipated week of dancing, music and basking in the joyous Sevilla atmosphere, over 22,000 lightbulbs burst to life in the blink of an eye. On this first night of the Feria de Sevilla - known as the "Alumbrao" - brilliant lights adorn not only the expansive fairgrounds but also the massive main gate and symbol of the festival, which is designed and constructed anew each year.
Just through the gate to the jubilant world of the Feria de Sevilla, over 1,000 striped "casetas" (tents) await. Now these aren't just your typical camping tents. Owned by groups of friends, families, organizations or political parties, these casetas actually serve as miniature homes for the duration of the Feria de Sevilla, intimately decorated and fully-equipped with a kitchen, bar and plenty of tables and chairs for enjoying tapas and sherry wine!
An integral part of the Feria de Sevilla's casetas is the music. You are bound to hear lively "sevillanas" - four part songs - pouring out of each caseta while, if you glance inside, party revelers are dancing the accompanying four-part dance. Meanwhile, the Feria de Sevilla is also an opportunity to see the best bullfights and Spain's most acclaimed bullfighters, as shouts of "Olé" liven the atmosphere at the Maestranza bullring each afternoon.
Adding a traditional touch to the Feria de Sevilla that the sevillanos are more than proud to show off are the bright, polka-dotted flamenco dresses donned by the women, traditional farm-worker clothing donned by men perched on horseback and groups of people stepping down from elegantly adorned horse-drawn carriages.
As a celebration of the energetic and joyous Sevilla attitude, the Feria de Sevilla certainly doesn't just slow down and fizzle out. Instead, the Feria de Sevilla boasts a spectacular finale, as Sevilla's most dazzling annual fireworks display lights up the night.
