Feria de Agosto
The Feria de Agosto has been celebrated for 500 years as the largest summer festival on the Costa del Sol and - according to the Malagueños - of the entire Mediterranean region. The Feria has always been "open"; H. All concerts, casetas , etc. are freely accessible to every visitor . Invitations like in Seville are not necessary.
This festival takes place every August, usually from the 2nd to the 3rd Saturday in August, but only if it is guaranteed that the holiday Toma de Málaga por los Reyes Católicos (the day the crusaders invaded Málaga) is included , in whose honor the Feria takes place. If this is not the case, the Feria will be pushed forward one week.
procedure
The Feria begins every year on the night from Friday to Saturday at exactly midnight with the greeting by the Mayor of Málaga. After ten minutes, the so-called Pregón follows . This is held every year by a different celebrity who is from Malaga. The Pregón is a "declaration of love" to the city, with the country, people and customs and traditions of the city being the focus.
Pregóneros / as since 2000:
- 2000: Antonio Banderas
- 2001: Fernando Hierro
- 2002:?,
- 2003: Antonio Garrido Moraga
- 2004: Julio Iglesias
- 2005: Estrella Morente
- 2006: Diana Navarro
- 2007: Pasión Vega
- 2008: Carlos Alejandro Sierra Fumero (Sandro)
- 2009: Manuel Bandera
- 2010: Javier Ojeda
- 2011: Pablo Alborán
- 2012: Dani Rovira
- 2013: Antonio De La Torre
- 2015: Pablo López
- 2016: Vanesa Martín
- 2017: María Del Mar Rodríguez (La Mari de Chambao)
This is followed by the opening fireworks display (approx. 30 minutes, both at the port and on the “Malagueta” beach). Then concerts follow until the early morning.
On Saturday, the actual start of the Feria, there is a procession starting at the town hall around 11 a.m. and ending around 1 p.m. Now the Feria del dia begins in the city center. Up to 500,000 people are on the streets, eating, drinking, dancing, watching concerts or flamenco performances.
Feria del Dia
The city center is filled with people who can eat and drink at many stalls like a folk festival. There is live music on the stages as well as performances by folk groups (e.g. the Verdiales from the mountains of Málaga). In some places, like the Plaza Mitjana or the Plaza de la constitución, there is a kind of open-air disco. The typical style of music is current Spanish pop and rumba-flamenca. In other squares there are flamenco performances as well as many people who dance flamenco (especially Sevillanas ) in the streets.
Feria de la Noche
Just outside the center is the Recinto Ferial (also called Real ). Almost every bus passes here during the fair. Line 11 in particular, but also many others, run every 10 minutes throughout the day. The Real is divided into two areas, which are separated by a central square: One area has the typical fairground attractions such as ferris wheel, shooting galleries, roller coaster, etc. The other area consists of around 150 casetas. These buildings are basically something like marquee tents without a roof. You can eat in many during the day and in the evening, at night there is usually a disco and party going on. The casetas are run either by associations (the peñas) or by clubs / restaurants in the city. On the weekends there are up to 700,000 people on the Real at night. On the last day, the fair ends here with fireworks.
Entrance to Recinto Ferial, Málaga
Recinto Ferial, fun fair on one half of the Feria de la Noche
Recinto Ferial, casetas, discos and loads of food on the other half of the fair
Salsa Caseta
Typical caseta
particularities
- Verdiales : folk music from the mountains of Malaga
- Cartojal : the sweet wine (a mosquito) that is only sold at the fair . It is very strong (15 percent by volume) and is drunk ice cold
- Choice of the fairy queen and the fairy king (selection as a beauty contest!)
Live concerts:
- Auditorio Municipal - every night from midnight
- Caseta de la Juventud - every night from midnight
- Concerts in the city center (e.g. Calle Larios, Plaza ...)