The Feria de Malaga is an event that attracts thousands of people to the city of Malaga in Andalusia. Throughout the year, different provinces of Andalusia have fairs, the most important ones being the ones in Seville and Malaga.
This is an event that Andalusians are waiting for all year, it is a week-long of celebrations and party. A lot of companies close during these festivities, which take place in the second week of August. Most workers take this week off to enjoy the feria without any worries.
If you are a traveller planning a visit to Malaga in August here are some things you need to know:
The Feria de Malaga takes place in the second week of August and lasts a week. It starts on a Saturday, typically with colourful and entertaining fireworks at midnight, where everyone gathers at the beaches, specially at the Malagueta beach, near the city centre where a concert takes place and everyone has fun until late.
Calle Larios
During the day, the main place to be is Calle Larios, which is situated at the heart of the city. An important note is to avoid going there with car, as you will probably not find a parking space, or it will be very expensive to park it. There are many buses that will take you to the city centre, and they are quite frequent. If you are staying outside the city of Malaga, in places like Torremolinos, Benalmadena or Fuengirola, you can take the Renfe Cercanias train to Malaga Centro which will take 20, 30 or 40 mins depending on where you take it from.
Once you arrive in Calle Larios, the main street in the city centre, you will see a huge gate decorated with different illustrations and graphics that represent Malaga and its culture. The streets are decorated with lamps and installations. The most typical thing to see during the day is the flamenco dancers on the streets, surrounded by live music and women playing the “castanuelas” to a Mediterranean rhythm. You can see these women wearing polka dotted dresses and skirts, with peinetas (combs) in their black and long hair. These polka dotted dresses are typical of the feria, you will see many souvenirs with these on, as well as the typical flower that most women wear on their head.
There is a great atmosphere in the city, there is live music everywhere, everybody is drinking, eating, singing and dancing. It is important that you note the high temperatures around this time of the year, so make sure you wear something light, stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes and clothes. You will find that many locals use colourful and highly decorated hand fans to keep themselves cool from the heat.
Another type of dance that you will most definitely see called the Verdiales, which is a traditional dance from Malaga. The typical costume for men and women is black trousers, with a white shirt and a red belt around their waste. The women wear flowers and the men wear hats. They dance with colourful long ribbons to the rhythm of castanuelas and other traditional instruments. It is a must see show t understand the culture
During the day, there are many tents and bars open that offer cheap drinks and a place to cool down and rest. The most common drink around this time of the year is a sweet wine called Cartojal. Each bottle comes with pink shot glasses, as each bottle is meant for sharing. Please note it is very strong and sweet, so it will probably leave you thirsty and tipsy, so beware on the quantity you drink as it can get you drunk very fast. Calimocho is another common drink which consists of the mixture of Coca Cola and wine with ice, or the Rebujito, which is asherry based drink mixed with lemon soda and mint, both very refreshing! If you fancy another type of drink, there are always glasses with the quantity of a litre, with which you can order beer, cocktails or sangria for really cheap prices. Of course, it is common to drink on the street, unlike the UK, so this creates an atmosphere of people moving around all the time, never staying in one place and trying different music and drinks.
If all this drink makes you hungry, there are great places to eat in the city centre. There is, of course, the main chains like Mcdonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell and different kebab shops, but if you fancy something more local, make sure to try the tapas. These are small plates of food, normally served to share. They usually include food like croquettes of different flavours, small paella plates, fried squid, fried cod, sardines, spicy wedges, sausages, chorizo and cheese plates. Many different places will offer these, however, beware that they will be full of people and the food may take a while. The normal time for Spanish people to eat is around two o’clock in the afternoon, some even later, so if you go in to eat before that you should be alright. There are many ice cream shops around too to cool you down and have a refreshing dessert!
Real de la feria
At night, the feria moves to the Cortijo de Torres. It is a place outside the city, where the Palacio de Ferias is situated. It is necessary to take a bus, these are arranged to leave from the city centre, with their destination marked as F for Feria. The ticket is never more than 2 euros, but it is usually full of people, normally young people singing and drinking on the bus. Don’t let this put you off as the journey to the feria is a happy one, everybody joins in the singing and nobody wants any problems, they just want to get to the feria. You can also get there by train but you will have to walk a little bit further.
Once you arrive at the Cortijo de Torres the first thing that will welcome you is the lit up construction just at the entrance. On the first day of the Feria, they light it up, many people watch this spectacle instead of the fireworks. This feria is called the Real, and is busier during night time, as the streets light up and are filled with decorations. In the morning, it is also open, but it is calmer, full of older people, traditional costumes and horses. It is also possible to have lunch here and hear live music. However, at night it is the space for the young ones.
There are different parts to the Real, the tents with food, drink and some even nightclubs; the part for kids with attractions much like a theme park and the concert hall.
The streets are filled with tents, some are owned by different clubs and bars, they always offer you different deals on the street and usually play either reggaeton or flamenco. The reggaeton tents are busier with young adults dancing and drinking, and the traditional music tents are normally occupied by older people who sing, dance and clap.
The area for families is a bit apart from all the bars, this area is full of attractions like ghost rides, the riding bull, small roller coasters and Ferris wheel. Each attraction works with tokens that you can buy at each game. There are many and many games to go around.
Finally, there is the concert hall, in which famous artists and comedians play nearly every night. The concerts are free, as well as the entrance of the feria, in case I didn’t mention it! The gigs can vary from older music to very recent, and it is always a good spot to be with friends and families.
The feria goes on until late in the morning, buses run until 7am, and some people stay up all night and watch the sunrise eating some churros, and then go to the city centre to do it all over again!
This goes on for 7 days and nights, finally coming to an end on the next Saturday, with a closing ceremony of colourful and noisy fireworks at the beach and a closing concert.
If you think the Feria de Malaga sounds amazing make sure to stop by in the second week of August, and be ready to submerge yourself in the Andalusian traditions!
