The first thing you'll see when you arrive at the Seville Fair from the city centre is the portada - the gateway, where you traditionally enter the fairground. Everyone gets their photo taken in front of the portada.

Seville’s fair is officially known as the April Fair, but in fact, it  isn’t always been celebrated entirely in April, and sometimes even takes place in May. The date depends on when Easter falls, as the Feria takes place two weeks after Semana Santa (Holy Week). 

Spring in Seville has a special atmosphere, garlanded with the sweet scent of orange blossom and jasmine, and a frisson of excited anticipation, as the city's two most important events take place - first Semana Santa and then the Spring Fair, the Feria de Abril.

The Sevilla Fair might be all about drinking, dancing and parading about on horseback, but don’t think for a minute this means there are no rules for participants; in fact, the rules are very strict.

Feria Paraphernalia. Each and every decorative element used in Seville’s spring fair has its own unique history. The paper lanterns that are strung across the fairgrounds first made their appearance on the scene at the 1877 fair.

The traje de flamenca, or flamenco dress, worn by women at the Feria is the only regional clothing that changes according to fashion – colour, length, neckline, sleeve type, spot size etc. The original dress is said to have had four ruffles. More about Dress for the Seville Feria.

The Cordoba Spring Fair, or Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud (Our Lady of the Health), takes place during the last week of May. Its venue is the municipal fairground on the north bank of the River Guadalquivir, a few kilometres to the south-east of the city. The recinto is called El Real de Arenal, which means the sandy area. This Feria dates from 1284, as a livestock market on Pentecost Sunday.