Seville April Fair

When:....................Apr 2008 (annual)
Where:...................Puente de la Barqueta
Cost:......................Various; some events are free
Opening Hours:.......All day

Every year Seville celebrates La Feria de Abril (April Fair) with round-the-clock flamenco parties. The fair runs for around a week and hosts an enticing programme of typically Andalusian cultural events.

On the south side of the Puente de la Barqueta (bridge), which crosses the Río Guadalquivir, there is a canvas city known as Real de la Feria. There, over 1000 brightly-coloured marquees are covered in decorations and paper lanterns, becoming a temporary home to thousands of revellers, packed day and night with flamenco dancers.

Many marquees are hired out to private functions, hosted by families, clubs and companies alike. These require you to have an invitation, but there are plenty of others and you can roam freely - all have their own bars. Be sure to order a chilled Rebujito, a refreshing mixture of Manzanilla sherry and Sprite unique to Seville.

At night, seek out some of the many flamenco events on offer. The majority run up until 9am the next morning, so time is not an issue. Some sevillanos choose to turn up clad head-to-toe in flamenco costume and have no problem dancing all night. Try learning a trick or two from them.


Make sure that you get some sleep so you can watch the Paseo de Caballos (Procession of Horsemen and Carriages) at midday. Horses and beautifully-decorated carriages parade in shining colours throughout the city, with their occupants in fantastic flamenco dress. Every evening some of the best bullfights of the year take place at the Plaza de Toros de Maestranza de Caballería, known as El Catedral (Cathedral).

Flamenco and bullfighting represent strong cultural traditions in Andalusia and the April Feria offers a unique insight into the character and atmosphere of the region.

Venue Information: Puente de la Barqueta

Full Name: Puente de la Barqueta, Seville, Spain

Address : Puente de la Barqueta, Seville, Seville province, Andalusia

Directions:
By Plane: daily flights leave from Paris, London, Dusseldorf, Brussels, Frankfurt, Rome, Valencia, Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid. San Pablo is located 10km to the north of the city at Km532 on National highway IV, Madrid-Cádiz.By Road: access to Seville from the north, along the E-5 motorway from Madrid.From Portugal: along motorway 49. Granada and the Costa del Sol are connected by the A-92 motorway and Extremadura by the national Highway 334. Seville and Cádiz are connected by toll motorway or by the national Highway IV.By Train: from Madrid take the (AVE) high speed train, which takes two-and-a-half hours. The train goes 15 times a day, stopping in Cordova and Ciudad Real, and prices differ according to the time of day.


Tourist Offices :

Seville Tourist Office (Municipal)
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Location:....Seville
Address:.....Edificio Costurero de La Reina, Calle Paseo de las
.................Delicias, 9, 45013 Sevilla
Phone:........+34 954 23 44 65

Tourist Office at the Junta de Andalusia
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Location:.....Andalusia
Address:......Plaza Mariana de Pineda 10, Granada
Phone:.........+34 958 24 71 28

Spanish National Tourist Office
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Location:.....Spain
Address:......José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036
Fax:............+34 913 43 35 00

Spanish National Tourist Office (TourSpain)
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Location:....Spain
Address:....José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036
Phone:......+34 913 43 35 00 or
UK:...........+44 (0) 20 7486 8077

Spanish Tourist Board (London)
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Location:...Spain
Address:....23-24 Manchester Square, London W1M 5AP
Phone:......+44 (0) 20 7486 8077
Fax:..........+44 (0) 20 7486 8034