Hola! This is the Senses of Spain newsletter. Greetings from Málaga, where we’re recovering from last week’s feria de agosto (August Fair).
Málaga’s annual summer party is a 360-degree immersive experience. It’s a kaleidoscope of colourful dresses and swaying paper lanterns, the clatter of horse hooves (and the earthy scent of manure), the sizzle of frying food, and the thumping beat of party music. It’s a complete sensory overload. My first feria was in 2022, and once I’d got over the initial culture shock, I loved it.
Since then I’ve experienced two more ferias in Málaga and one in Seville, and although they have much in common, there are also some interesting differences in the way Andalucia’s two biggest cities hold their annual celebrations. Read on for some comparisons between the two, and some photos and videos.
It’s been a while… 😬
But first, some housekeeping. After leaping into this newsletter project full of excitement and enthusiasm, I ended up taking a much longer break than expected over the summer.
First life got in the way, then I had a bit of “analysis paralysis” over what to write next (so many ideas! So many half-written posts...!) then a lot of analysis paralysis over whether I needed a website/blog in addition to the newsletter. After finally expanding my online footprint beyond Instagram and TikTok, was I in danger of putting all my eggs in one basket?
The upshot of this is that now, I do indeed have both this newsletter and a website (very much still a work in progress!) and I’ve settled on how to differentiate the two.
👩💻 The website/blog will be for deep dives, detailed guides, and evergreen content. I’ve moved my first two newsletter posts over there, rather than duplicate them entirely in both places.
✉️ This newsletter will be a mix of seasonal and topical content, travelogues, and travel tips/news. Plus, I’ll share links to what’s new on the blog.
I’m currently cooking up my next blog post (all about Malaga’s food) so stay tuned for that.
All the fun of the fair
Back to Malaga’s feria. Almost every Andalucian city has an annual fair of some kind, typically in the spring or summer. Sometimes they’re connected to a historical event. In Málaga’s case, the dates align with the anniversary of the conquest of the city by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, in 1487.
An Andalucian feria has some universal elements. First, there’s the clothing. It’s traditional for women to wear colourful dresses known as trajes de flamenca or trajes de gitana, which hug the body before flaring out into ruffles. These are accessorised with shawls, hair flowers, clips and combs, earrings, and a hand fan. The classic footwear is wedge-heeled espadrilles (called alpargatas or cuñas de esparto in Spanish).
Specialist men’s clothing is usually left to those who are riding horses, where a common choice is the traje campero or traje cordobés, long trousers and a jacket cropped to the waist. It’s paired with a sombrero cordobés (Cordoban hat). Women wear a version of this outfit too, a look which always strikes me as particularly elegant.
Another feature of feria is the casetas, marquees that serve food and drink and/or play music. Some have stages where musicians and dancers perform, and some are essentially nightclubs.
The wide avenues of the fairgrounds are lined with these casetas, and the only traffic on these streets is of the equine variety. Horses and riders and horse-drawn carriages parade around during the day, harking back to the days when ferias were held alongside a horse and cattle fair.
So far, I could be describing either Seville or Malaga. So here are some of the ways in which Malaga is different.
The drinks
The beverage of the Feria de Abril (April Fair, as Seville’s is officially known) is rebujito, a refreshing mix of sherry wine and lemonade that’s served over ice and often garnished with fresh mint. You’ll see pitchers and glasses of this everywhere. And don’t get me wrong, you can also buy it at Malaga’s feria, but the typical drink here is cartojal, a sweet white wine made from local moscatel grapes.
With its hot pink branding and festive polka-dot label (flamenco dresses are often decorated with polka dots), cartojal is easy to spot, and dangerously easy to drink. It’s best consumed chilled, one of the reasons it’s sold in small bottles.
Caseta access
Don’t go to Seville’s feria thinking you can just wander from caseta to caseta, because the vast majority of them aren’t open access. There are a few public ones, including a caseta especially for tourists, but overall the Feria de Abril has the feel of a private party – you need to know people.
Malaga is the complete opposite. While you might need a reservation for some of the more exclusive casetas (such as the one run by the legendary restaurant El Pimpi, part-owned by Antonio Banderas), there’s a general openness to feria here. And it’s important to note that entry to casetas is free of charge, and the local authorities police and enforce this.
Location
While both Seville and Málaga have custom-made fairgrounds, Málaga’s feria also takes over the streets of the historic centre. During the day (12-6pm) the pedestrianised Calle Larios, the adjoining Plaza de la Constitución, and other streets and plazas fill up with music, dancers, stalls selling feria accessories, and throngs of people enjoying the festive atmosphere.
It’s known as the Feria del Centro, and it’s my favourite part of the feria. I love the traditional music and dances, such as the verdiales (shown in the video above), an “ancestor” of flamenco from Málaga province’s rural heartlands. There are also local choirs performing in the streets and plenty of people dancing sevillanas and malagueñas, typical folk dances.
Dress
One final, notable difference between Seville and Málaga’s ferias is the dress code. It’s fair to say that Seville is overall more formal and codified. Not all the women in Seville’s feria wear traditional outfits – it’s also perfectly acceptable to wear elegant contemporary clothes, of the kind you might wear to a summer wedding – but anyone dressed casually is going to look like a tourist. Men who aren’t in riding gear often wear a suit and tie.
That’s not the case in Málaga. Partly due to the city’s more relaxed beachy vibe, and partly due to the heat and humidity (August here is no joke), you’re far more likely to see local people dressed informally. It’s normal to see the likes of cut-off denim shorts, a sleeveless top, and a flower behind the ear for women.
People can, and do, dress extremely elegantly – exactly the same as in Seville – but the atmosphere is more laid-back. One example is the mixing of traditional traje de flamenca accessories such as hair flowers with street clothes, somewhat frowned upon in more conservative circles. In Málaga, this is much more common.
For more feria content, check out this TikTok video of Seville’s Feria de Abril that I made for Visit Spain, this interview with a churros seller, and this Instagram reel of my very first Malaga feria.
PS: If you’re in Málaga outside of feria time but you’d like to get a taste of the ambience, the restaurant La Sal y el Son is decked out like a caseta and has classic feria food, music, and party vibes year-round. They have three locations in the city.
Some dates for your calendar
A curated selection of interesting events around Spain this coming month
September grape harvest festivals
From late August onwards, many regions of Spain celebrate their grape harvest with festivals (Las Fiestas de la Vendimia) and other special events. Some of these include Manilva, in the far southwest corner of Malaga province, the city of Jerez (which has a two-week extravaganza), and Logroño in La Rioja.
September 3-8
Feria y Fiestas de Pedro Romero (Ronda, Malaga province)
A celebration of history, folklore and Andalucían hospitality, this annual festival in the picturesque mountain town of Ronda is named after a famous bullfighter. Usually this fiesta features a corrida (bullfight) in Ronda’s historic bull ring, which won’t be happening this year because of structural problems with the building. However, there will be an equestrian show, a parade, and lots more to see and do.
September 15
Dia de la Pasa (El Borge, Malaga province)
The area of Malaga province known as the Axarquía is famed for its pasas (raisins) made from moscatel grapes, and this annual celebration is all about them. El Borge is a charming pueblo with an interesting history and some really pretty miradores (viewpoints), which gives you even more reason to visit.
September 20-22
Cáceres Irish Fleadh (Cáceres, Extremadura)
This weekend-long celebration of Irish music and dance is one of the most surprising and charming festivals I’ve experienced in Spain. What I found particularly heart-warming when I happened upon it a couple of years ago was the spirit of cultural interchange. The streets were full of Spanish-speaking Irish people, while the main stage had excellent Irish dancers who turned out to be Spanish.
Museo Sorolla closure
And finally, one of my favourite Madrid museums, the former home of the painter Joaquin Sorolla, will soon be closing it doors for renovation and expansion works until 2026 😢. Ahead of its closure on October 1, it has some late-night openings. On Fridays 20 and 27 September and Saturdays 21 and 28 September you can visit until 10.30pm. If you’re in Madrid and haven’t yet been to this absolute gem, now’s your chance!
Until next time,
Un abrazo
Amy
A tale of two ferias: Málaga vs Seville