Local Festivals in Andalusia

Festivals and folklore express the shared culture of a community, encompassing its historic and sociocultural traditions and the ways these are expressed publicly.

This exhibition includes visual and documentary materials from our archives, showing some of Andalusia's most important local festivals such as carnivals and fairs, held throughout the last century.

The "Ferias"

Several Andalusian towns hold an annual "feria" (fair). The origins of these festivals mainly lie in cattle fairs. While they all have elements in common, they also have their own unique features, reflecting the distinctive nature of each town or village.

Andalusian fairs are visual expressions of a part of Andalusian culture, with its own dress and folklore, music, dancing, horses, lights, attractions, and gastronomy. They are held in purpose-built fairgrounds.

The 1935 program for the Cantoria fair (Almeria) is a good illustration of what these festivals are like.

Merchants from all over Spain came to the fair to buy or sell mares, horses, mules, goats and sheep. When the commercial activities of the day were over, they spent the rest of the night enjoying the theater, circuses, and dancing. This particular fair, which was held after the end of the Spanish Civil War in the context of economic change and the gradual increase in car ownership, fell into decline and gradually died out altogether. It was later revived and now Cantoria's fair is held annually.

La Feria de Abril

The origins of Seville's Feria de Abril (April Fair) date back to 1846, when Narciso Bonaplata (from Catalonia) and José María de Ybarra (from the Basque Country) asked Seville's City Council for permission to hold an annual cattle fair for a few days in April.

It was held for the first time in 1847, and is now known as the April Fair (or Seville Fair).

Initially organized to promote cattle trade, its original purpose slowly changed over time into the celebratory event it is today.

The poster advertising the Spring Fairs shown here is from 1929—a very special year for the city, since it coincided with the Ibero-American Exposition.

The Horse Fair

In May, Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) holds its horse fair, which has been designated an event of International Tourist Interest.

The origins of the fair date back to medieval times, and it involves numerous equestrian activities such as horse drawn carriage competitions, conformation competitions, and dressage.

Its fairground is a great place to watch parades of different breeds of horse, carriages with a variety of different harnesses, and riders in traditional Andalusian dress. It is a unique display of culture and color.

This photograph shows a horse-drawn carriage competing in the 1977 competition.

The Patios of Córdoba

Designated Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, the Patio (or Courtyard) Festival of Córdoba has taken place since the 1920s.

During the first two weeks of May, the owners of participating patios open them up, giving members of the public the opportunity visit them and admire their beauty.

Córdoba's Provincial Historical Archive has an office in a traditional Cordoban house, whose main feature is its central patio.

The "Carnaval"

It is a carnival that combines costumes, parades, and street parties, alongside groups singing tangos, "cuplés" (a type of risqué 19th-century Spanish theater song), and paso dobles.

The image shows the Carnaval festival of 1907 in the city of Linares, Jaén.

From the 19th century onward, certain rules were put in place to regulate the way in which the Carnaval was celebrated. The singing groups' songs—many of which were based around humor and satire—had to be authorized by the government.

This document is the official authorization from 1926 of the lyrics of the "murga"-style song, “Los desheredados de la vida" (Life's dispossessed people).

The Carnaval in Cádiz

Designated a Festival of International Tourist Interest, the Carnaval in Cádiz is one of Spain's main carnivals and a unique expression of the city's culture.

Throughout the 20th century, it experienced a series of setbacks. The 1936 carnival was the last to be held before the onset of the Spanish Civil War, when it was banned.

Despite this ban, however, it continued to be held in secret.

"Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas"

Between 1947 and 1965, the carnival was once again permitted and known as the "Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas" (Typical Cádiz Festivals). The period was a golden age for the carnival.

Ironically, it was the mine explosion at the San Severiano storage depot in 1947, resulting in the deaths of 200 people, which was the catalyst for the reintroduction of the carnival as a way of lifting people's spirits.

The ban on the summer festivals was therefore lifted and choirs were given permission to sing again. However, the carnival remained under government control and was primarily a celebration organized by the City Council, rather than by the people.

The last Fiestas Típicas Gaditanas took place in 1976, and the following year they were once again known as Carnaval and held in February.