Street Party
Malaga’s August Feria exhausts the uninitiated finds Maggi
Jones
Having been to other European city’s festivals and experiencing
a few here already, I was still completely unprepared for the explosion
of joyous emotion of music and dance which rock Málaga during
the August Feria. With fans tucked in bosoms and small shot glasses
dangling from leather straps around necks, this city parties with
a vengeance. No training is needed here for Málaga’s
2016 award of the ‘European City of Culture’, these people
already have celebrating down to an art and the beer and tinto verano
that flows during this week only adds to this joie de vivre.
Málaga’s centre core is surprisingly historic and its
ancient roots attest to a noble heritage that is often tarnished with
modern images of sunburnt lager lout tourists.
However, stumble onto the 2nd century B.C roman amphitheatre that
suns itself below the Moorish Alcazba or stroll its small alleys and
you will come away with a different impression altogether. This is
most especially true when the whole city is on holiday for the annual
August festival of the Gran Feria de Málaga.
A spectacular fireworks of booming fire colour and light begins the
Feria, and from then on, the city’s residents, the Malagueños,
show stamina for celebration that has to be seen to be believed. Here,
in the nine days of festivities reigns the Spanish obsession with
laughter, fun and dare I say, copious drinking of the chilled dulce
wine, cartojal.
Commemorating the 1487 recovery of the city from the Moors by the
Catholic Crown, the Feria itself spreads out through the city like
a long jubilant winding conga line, with the Bullring (Plaza de Toros),
the Real de la Feria (large showground for exhibiters and main evening
music programs) thriving and downtown streets host to singers, dancers
and of course drinkers.
Dwarfing the tidy apartments on either side and the sombrero sellers
below, last year’s massive a la Picasso styled entrance way
to the Fair framed the main shopping high street’s (Calle Marquis
de Larios) boutiques and large pedestrian marble throughway. Through
this the crowds throng, past food and souvenir stalls to Plaza Constitucion
at the end, resplendent with bunting bobbing in the summer sun and
the dancers starting to warm up.
Through the week, almost 200 musical artists will be showcased in
Málaga with concerts and free street performances and the roads
are busy with traditional flamenco guitar tunes and impromptu singalongs
in which locals gather clapping and cheering around these wandering
minstrels.
This year’s fair will begin with the opening address, Pregón
de la Feria from the Town hall on the 13th of August and run rampant
until the 21st of the month. Bullfights, caseta booths set up in the
Real for late night socializing, and the prancing horses in the Feria
de Caballos all are energetic annual events ongoing amidst the bustling
central street revelry.
If you have ever attended any wedding in which someone’s older
aunt or uncle attempted to dance misguidedly and on somewhat shaky
legs to a popular pop piece, well then you will be absolutely amazed
at what the elderly community get up to here in broad daylight in
public avenues without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
I stood on the baking sidewalk in 37 degrees heat frankly open-mouthed
at the large roving groups of grannies in low necked frilly dresses,
flowers behind ears, strutting their stuff without pausing to breath.
Unbridled and utterly appealing all with the enthusiastic Malagueños
on the side walks clapping along and often unable to contain themselves,
jumping into the gathering to join the reel. Street after street after
street. It soon becomes clear as the sun fades that not just the castanet
clacking abuelas and abuelos can cut the rug, but this city’s
teens and young parents soon join in gyrating to pumping piped music
showing the diversity of Málaga and ranging from hip hop, flamenco
fusion to German techno Europop.
So much skirt twirling and feet stomping, I was almost tempted to
run into one of the several shops stocking the bright polka dotted
flamenco dresses doing booming trade and get back out onto the street
for the next song. Maybe this year, I’ll be able to keep up
with them.
Travel Tips
The Feria generally runs from 11:00 am to the late hours.
Driving in is always a problem (for both imbibing and parking reasons)
and good recommendations are to take a bus in from your base or an
outlying area.
The most popular bus stop being just down on Avenida Manuel Agustin
Hereda, a short walk north reaches the daytime festivities of the
small central core.
To reach the Real de la Feria (the fairgrounds popular for the evening)
there are special Feria buses (1) running regularly from Alemeda Principal,
again very conveniently located on the main route through town.
For further details about city access, see Malaga tourist office’s
website www.malagaturismo.com
