A wet week for the Sevilla feria!
By Khilen Mehta
The weather forecast may have predicted torrential rain but nothing is going to stop the Sevillanos from a week of partying. Although a wet April Feria is forecast in Sevilla this week, thousands of citizens took to the streets in order to witness the beginning of the celebrations.
The feria was traditionally started by the mayor of the city, Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín, and the local group, Los Cantores de Híspalis, opened the proceedings on what is their 30th anniversary. The celebrations got underway last night with the switching on of the fairground illuminations and the consumption of an estimated 16,000 kilos of fried fish and 8,000 kilos of gambas. This year there are 1,040 marquees or casetas in the Sevilla feria, and as many as 25,000 lightbulbs in the grand archway which gives entrance to the fairground, and 367,000 in the whole fairgound.
The feria had been threatened by a local bus strike in the city but this has now been resolved and RENFE Spanish railways is adding 20,000 more places to its high speed AVE service from Madrid for the duration of the feria.
The feria is due to end on the 13th April, and will attract millions of people from all over the world. Whatever the weather, the Sevillanos will be celebrating in style!