Feria de Jerez, also known as Feria del Caballo (literally ''Horse Fair''), is a celebration in the Spanish municipality

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway bet ...

, traditionally held in the first or second week of May. It is the most important fair in the Province of Cádiz and is listed as one of the Fiestas of International Tourist Interest of Spain by the

Ministry of Industry (Spain) The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MINCOTUR) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for the proposal and execution of the government policy on industry, trade and tourism, including among its competences the industria ...

.Town Corporation official site
commenting on Feria (in Spanish) It was last held 7−14 May 2022 and will next be held 6−13 May 2023.

History

Its origins are in the

medieval ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire an ...

, during one week farmers gathered to sell and buy beautiful animals in Jerez, mainly beautiful horses, usually drinking to celebrate the deals. The origin of the fair of Jerez, occurs in the years of the Castilian conquest. Alfonso X carried out the policy of granting a cattle fair to the cities he occupied, to help activate the local economy. In the case of Jerez, the cattle fair was established in the second half of the thirteenth century, specifically some historians point to 1264, shortly after the definitive Castilian conquest of the city. In the nineteenth century, the first variations around the concept of the fair occurred. From a cattle fair, it evolves into an exhibition model, specifically in 1856. In 1867 a Special Commission of Fairs was created.

Celebration

Nowadays it is celebrated in ''Parque González Hontoria'' (

Jerez Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. , the c ...

). It is always celebrated in the second week of May and before El Rocío. The fair of Jerez since its origins is celebrated around the horse, still maintaining the contests of hooks and coachmen, activities of harassment and demolition with brave bulls, morphological contests of horses and other activities related to the equine world. The Feria is divided in two parts: one is a kind of small village, with streets that have bars and restaurants at both sides (these restaurants are called ''Casetas''). The other is a ''Theme Park''/''carnival'' style area where kids and grown ups can have fun on different rides such as

roller coasters A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...

, bumper cars etc... At the ''Feria de Jerez'' all the casetas are public, so anyone can just walk into any one and enjoy the food, drinks, and dancing. This is one of the main features that differentiates it from the

Seville Fair The Seville Fair (officially and in es, Feria de Abril de Sevilla, "Seville April Fair") is held in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain. The fair generally begins two weeks after the Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week. The fair officially be ...

as most of the "casetas" there are private and therefore only card holding members are allowed in, except horses. In the casetas, throughout the day and night, people will usually be found drinking fino

sherry Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versi ...

, and in more recent years a new trend is to mix the fino with lemonade and ice cubes creating a cocktail commonly known as Rebujito. At night time there is a sort of "roof" of pretty decorative lights lighting this little "village" like area, which allows the party to last all the way till dawn.

Gallery

File:FeriaJerez2007.jpg, Horse race. File:CasetaJerez.jpg, Caseta File:PlazaFeria2009.jpg, Bullfight. File:MontandoCasetas.jpg, Building casetas. File:VenenciadorFeriaJerez.JPG, Venenciador serving

in ''Feria''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feria De Jerez Andalusian culture Cadiz province Public holidays in Spain Annual events in Spain Spring (season) events in Spain