08/10/2022
The Greatest Show on Earth Returns to Fuengirola
It’s been 3 long years since the last Fuengirola Feria and today, the 6th of October we start 6 days of celebrations of the very best Spanish, Andalucian, Malagueña, Sevillana and Fuengiroleños culture.
The visitor, could imagine being on the set of a movie; during the day when the roads are busy with horses and at night when it is filled with lights and even fireworks (Friday at 21:00)
‘Recinto Ferial’ is transformed from a car park used for markets into the centre of the most amazing celebration of Spanish culture.
The event is an exciting swirl of music, horses, dancing, lights, costumes, over 30 Casita’s, a large theatre and a fairground.
Up to half of the visitors dress in the most amazing Spanish traditional (trajes) costumes while horses and carriages trot through the centre.
The style and glamour enact a golden age of prosperity that never happened, a preferred history in which you can participate.
This has to be among the best of Andalucian Ferias, bettering Seville (for inclusiveness) and Malaga (for a better time of year).
This Feria works through a symphony of coordination between the Ayuntamiento, emergency services, cleaners, concessionaires and most importantly up to a million visitors, to make it a perfect event every time.
Fuengirola Feria has a recorded history dating back to 1867 when Fuengirola was mostly an agricultural town that had grown from 1 to 5 thousand residents during the previous 20 years.
It may have had a longer history as a ‘livestock and produce market’ with an after-party, similar to many across Europe where the annual harvest festival became a fair.
The Fuengirola Feria was born through a combination of factors, including population growth, transportation, the availability of power, light and new music.
Today the Feria is a showcase of lighting technology with millions of LED’s creating a cathedral arch of light for its entire length.
In the nineteenth century, Feria was celebrated on August 7th, the feast of San Cayetano.
By the 1900’s the date was moved to October as it became more of a cultural celebration than an agricultural event.
The early Feria lasted for four days, dedicating the first night to processing the image of the Virgen del Rosario followed by dancing, music, fandangos, fireworks, sideshows, bullfights, stalls and bars.
Every type of amusement was offered and as new attractions were invented they would come to the Fuengirola Feria, from beauty contests to football matches or hula-hoops to the everlasting 1950’s fairgrounds.
The fairgrounds are run by the ‘Feriantes’, Spain’s fairground people who bring entertainment to the Feria’s.
They have an agreement to pay a fee to the Ayuntamiento with a deposit to ensure they leave the ground as they found it and abide by the rules.
Throughout its history the event has been held in the Plaza de Constitution, the Castle, Avenida de Mijas, Paseo Maritimo and Avenida Jesús Santos Rein.
The Feria arrived on its present site in 1982, which provides the perfect location and a valuable amenity for the town in the rest of the year.
For 150 years Fuengirola has presented a spectacle that has delighted visitors with the most amazing demonstrations of Spanish, Andalucian, Malagueña, Sevillana and Fuengiroleños culture.
If you are going to the Feria, perhaps I can share my own thoughts with you.
The horses, carriages, clothes, bars, food, lights and fairground are all great and create an atmosphere for …. Music; this is a music fair, we are lucky, this is the very best that Andalucia has to offer. Just like the spectacular dancing, the whole thing would come to nothing without the music.
It comes without the ticket cost and restricted herding of our other concerts, it’s free.
The musicians are chosen for this event because they are of the highest calibre, there are local and regional superstars and members of families who have sung Flamenco across 3 centuries.
It is fair to say that many foreign residents on the coast have not fully grasped the attraction of the event, so if I may respectfully give some advice?
Read books like Jason Webster's ‘Duende’ and the amazing books explaining Flamenco in English by Tony Bryant.
Failing that, put your music head on and go and enjoy yourself, just copy the Spanish locals, nobody does it better.
If you are coming from any distance, try a taxi, train or bus. There are congested roads and minimal parking on a normal day, but when up to a million visitors arrive, forget it!
That said, if you like music, please come, it is a significant event, a best in its class and the central event of Fuengirola’s year.
Enjoy the amazing music and soak up the electric atmosphere, because in your moment of enjoyment, you could find yourself at the centre of the ‘the greatest show on earth’.
You can find out more about Fuengirolas Ferias and the towns amazing history in my book ‘Fuengirola Revisited’ https://fuengirolarevisited.com/
