Seville April Fair

The Feria starts in the dark. On the Monday night, the Alumbrado, the lights of the fairground come on at midnight and the Portada, the huge decorated gate, lights up with them. The Portada alone carries more than 100,000 LED bulbs. By then the first fried-fish dinners, the pescaito, had already been served inside the tents.

The fairground in the Los Remedios district is a grid of streets of casetas, striped tents run by families, clubs and associations. More than a thousand stand there. Most are private, and the waiting lists to get one are said to run for decades, so as a visitor you will mostly stand outside and look in. A few public casetas, run by the city districts, are open to everyone. They can cost more, but the atmosphere is just as authentic.

Dress matters. Women usually wear flamenca dresses, men wear a suit by day and trousers and a shirt at night, and some wear the short jacket of the traje corto. You are not expected to dress fully, but shorts and flip-flops will make you stand out.

How to go. The Feria follows Holy Week, so the dates move: since 2025 the rule is the third week after Holy Week, which puts the lighting on the Monday two weeks after Easter Sunday. For 2027 the press reports Monday 12 April to Sunday 18 April, but the city council has not confirmed it, and it can change the date. The 2027 Portada is called "Puerta a los sueños 1927". Book your bed early, and check the city council's calendar before you book.