A feria (for those of you outside of Spain) is basically a fair. But to call it a fair in the English sense diminishes it too far - a fullblown Spanish feria is nothing like an English Country fair.
Where to start? Well obviously for our region the Malaga feria has to be the best. Many would disagree with me preferring their own local town feria but for me the Malaga feria has all the excitement and style that the others promise but never quite deliver.
Its a game of "two halves". The daytime part is spent in Malaga City centre where bars do a roaring trade and shops shut after the morning trade. Many businesses close for the entire period both in the city and in the surrounding areas. If you want to get something done during Malaga Feria week (!) good luck!!
The daytime part is great fun. How is it that so many Spanish can stand cheek by jowel, drink copious amounts of alcohol and not fight? I am sorry to say that in the UK this would be a nightmare for the police - and for over a week ........aghhhhhh! There are temporary bars set up on the side of pedestrian walkways and stalls selling little tipple cups to hang round your neck just in case you get withdrawal symptoms between one bar and the next! There is food also available on these stalls and everyone is laughing.
Yes thats right L A U G H I N G - a novel concept isnt it? (Thats another thing we tend to forget how to do!)
We walked around the old town area around the Cathedral and Plaza de la Constitucion and every street you look down is just a sea of heads and you wonder how you going to get down the street but as long as you aren't in too much of a rush - and really who is going to be rushing in this heat - the masses move to accommodate two more trying to reach a bar and you might get you feet trodden on a bit but hey........... its part of the "fun".
Drinks are fun too - hollowed out melons with a lethal fruity alcoholic beverage inside and a ............ straw ...... to add that touch of innocence ... DONT BE FOOLED. Jugs of margaritas, sangria and beer are also passed around with abandon!!
Early evening - 6-7pm sees the fizzling out of the in town part of the day and a mass exodus occurs. Buses travel constantly back and forth 24 hours a day from Malaga town centre to the official Feria ground on the outskirts of town. Here the action starts very slowly and really starts going around midnight. Literally hundreds of bars have been erected for the week. Very wide avenues with bars and eateries on either side. You could go there every day for the duration and not get round half of them. You could eat Paella 10 times and it would always be a bit different. And then there is the fair itself with all its rides, candyfloss and noise - thats the bit we do have in the UK! But from our point of view - fairs are ten a penny, its the party atmosphere that we go for and if anyone can party its the Spanish!
It shouldn't be missed - in fact we'll see you there!!
Dont forget parking in the centre of Malaga is bad at the best of times, during Feria its a nightmare. We take the bus or train - cheap and easy! Another point that I have to make - if Bullfighting is your thing then there are bullfights throughout the feria week. (However, dont expect to see us there!!)
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