Andalucia Guide > About Andalucia > Provincial Fiestas > Seville > Spring Fair

About Andalucía. provincial fiestas. SEVILLE. SPRING FAIR

The month of April is marked in the calendar for Sevillians as an important venue.    The spring fair is held just after Easter Week, one of the most important weeks in the city. The origins of the Seville spring fair date back to August 25th 1846, when Narciso Bonaplata and José María de Ybarra, signed a proposal which they produced to the city Council asking for permission to hold an annual fair during the 19th, 20th & 21st of April.  Funny enough these two Sevillian citizens were not Andalusian, but Basque and Catalan, respectively. Cattle raisers and farmers though it was a good idea and the first spring fair was held in 1847.

As time went by changes occurred and the fair improved in such a way that it reached to us as we know it.  Some of the important changes are: in 1870 the fair lasted two more days, in 1893 the first ‘casetas’ or canvas pavilions or tents were erected by the city casinos and Sevillian cultural groups, in 1894 the traditional poster contest was held.  During the Civil War the fair is not celebrated and only cattle trade takes place. In 1949 the first fairground gate is opened at Avenida del Cid.

Seville´s Fair

The Seville spring fair paralyses the city completely and many of the traditional activities are moved to the fairground. This is one of the most important fairs in the world.
The spring fair commences with the traditional lighting up of the fair lights making it the start of a week full of fun and fiesta.