Holidays and Festivals in Andalucia

Local holidays and Festivals you may wish to visit

You may wish to book your holiday with Creative Holidays Spain so that it coincides with one of the many festivals that take place in Andalucia each year.
Some of these festivals are so wonderful and colourful, that it is worth adding a few extra days, or even an extra week to your holiday. By renting a car for the week you could tour round the area.

There is always a festival happening somewhere in Andalucia. Most towns hold their ferias in the summer, they consist of parades, concerts, bullfights, fairgrounds, dancing, and fireworks. Many of them go on well into the night. Even the small villages will hold their own festivals, celebrations and religious events.

Below is a list of the most outstanding events in southern Spain:

February/March

Carnaval (Carnival) : Fancy dress parades and general celebrations, which happen in many places (the wildest in Cadiz) in February and/or March, usually ending on the Tuesday 47 days before Easter Sunday.

March/April

Semana Santa (Holy Week): The week leading up to Easter Sunday. Parades of lavishly decorated holy images, long lines of nazarenos (penitents sometimes hooded), and big crowds, in almost every city, town and village. In major cities there are daily processions from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday; smaller places may omit Monday and Tuesday. Sevilla has the most famous celebrations.

Malaga, Granada, Cordoba and Arcos de la Frontera also stage spectacular processions. You can easily reach Arcos de la Frontera while on your painting holiday with Creative Holidays Spain. You will need to allow about 1 ˝ hours driving time to get there. The events held in villages can be just as rewarding and enjoyable.

April

Feria de Abril (April Fair): Seville stages this week-long party in late April. See below for full details.

Romeria de la Virgen de la Cabeza: Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims mass at the Santuario de la Virgen de la Cabeza near Andujar, Jaen province, on the last Sunday in April.

May

Feria del Caballo (Horse Fair): Held at Jerez de la Frontera in early May, this features music, dance and other events as well as lots of colourful equestrian activities. For those who love the sights and sounds of costumes, and horses, this is a lovely Fair to visit. Jerez de la Frontera could just about be managed as a day trip while on your holiday with Creative Holidays Spain, but an early start would be advised. The weather is most comfortable at this time of year and not too tiring to attend a big event like the Horse Fair in Jerez.

Cruces de Mayo (May Crosses): Crosses are placed in squares and patios in many towns, notably in and around Granada, on about 3 May. They are decorated with flowers and become the focus for temporary bars, food stalls, music and dancing.

Concurso de Patios Cordobeses (Courtyard Competition): Scores of beautiful private courtyards open to the public for two weeks in early May in Cordoba.

May/June

June

Hogueras de San Juan (Bonfires of San Juan): Bonfires and fireworks, especially on beaches, are the heart of this midsummer celebration on 23 June. Many thousands of people camp overnight along Andalucia´s beaches.

July

Dia de la Virgen del Carmen (the feast day of the patron of fisherfolk): On 16 July, the Virgin’s image is carried into the sea, or paraded upon it amid a flotilla of small boats, at many coastal towns.

August

Feria de Malaga (Malaga Fair): This most animated of all the summer ferias runs for nine days from one weekend to the next in mid-August.

September

Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians): This re-enactment on 14 and 15 September of the 1568 Muslim rebellion in Valor, Granada province, is the most colourful of several Andalucian events commemorating Muslim/Christian conflicts.

September/October

Fiestas de Otono (Autumn Festival): Jerez de la Frontera´s three-week grape harvest celebrations in September/October, with horse races and parades, flamenco dancing and an air show. This is an excellent event to try and get to. It may be a good opportunity to extend your holiday by staying in Jerez de la Frontera for a few days to attend this colourful fiesta.



Feria de Abril in Seville. Held in April
The non-stop, week long Feria de Abril takes place in the second half of the month. For its duration a vast area on the west bank of the river in the barrio of Los Remedios, the Real de la Feria, is totally covered in rows of casetas, canvas pavilions or tents of varying sizes. Some of these belong to eminent sevillano families, some to group of friends, others to clubs, trade associations or political parties. Each one resounds with flamenco singing and dancing from around 9pm until perhaps 6am or 7am the following morning. Many of the men and virtually all the woman wear traditional costume, the latter in an astonishing array of brilliantly coloured, flounced gypsy dresses.

The sheer size of this spectacle makes it extraordinary, and the dancing, with its intense and knowing sexuality, can prove very entertaining. But most infectious of all is the universal spontaneity of enjoyment. There is so much colour and culture to soak up, and after wandering around for a while you will soon be drawn into the festivities by the open and hospitable nature of the Spanish

Earlier in the day, from 1pm until 5pm, Sevillana society parades around the fairground in carriages of on horseback. An incredible extravaganza of display and voyeurism, this has subtle but distinct gradations of dress and style; catch it at least once. Each day, too, there are bullfights (at around 5:30pm; very expensive tickets in advance from the ring), generally reckoned to be the best of the season.

Seville is about 3 hours drive north from the location of your holiday with Painting Holidays Spain. It could prove too much for a one day trip, so an overnight stop would be advised.


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