Jerez Horse Fair, Spain
Jerez, a small town in the Cadiz province of Spain, known around the world for it's production of sherry, is the location of the Feria de Caballo which takes in the second week of May each year. If you would like to join in with the Spanish celebrations there are few places where we would be made more welcome as you taste the local cuisine, enjoy the local wines and join in with the flamenco dancing.
The Fair takes place at the Gonzalo Hontoria Fairgrounds which covers an area of 52,000 square metres giving ample space for the stables to show of their finest horses.
The event is opened by the Mayor of Jerez and the crowd are treated to an impressive fireworks show followed by the turning on of the lights.
In the mornings you can see horse related events like the Andalusian dancing horses, show-jumping and carriage racing. Afterwards the carriages parade into the showground carrying lades in traditional flamenco costumes and the elegant horse-riders (jinetes), wearing their grey suits with cropped jackets and wide-brimmed hats. Then everyone heads towards the "casitas" tents to enjoy local cuisine, copious amounts of sherry and wine and dance until the early hours of the following morning. Unlike the Feria de Sevilla, there are over 200 casitas open to the public.
There is a busy street market open throughout the fiesta and a large funfair with dodgems, a ferris wheel and other fairground rides to attract both children and adults. There are also bullfights organised as well as flamenco competitions and more firework displays.
If you would like to experience the Spanish culture in full this is an ideal opportunity to do so.
Jerez is home to some of the wealthiest families in Andalucia providing them with the means to purchase impressive studs and breed beautiful horses. For over 500 years Jerez has hosted a livestock fair giving them the opportunity to show off the finest horses in the region. In 1491, the participating merchants signed an agreement allowing additional forms of entertainment, initially the local wine producers set up stands, then a children's amusement park was added and so on until it developed into the grand event we see today which individuals and societies being allowed to build their own casitas.
FERIA DATES
This year (2011) the horse fair starts on Sunday 8th May and runs until the 15th.
These dates are for information only and you should check with the Tourist Information Office in Jerez for confirmation before booking flights and accommodation.
Jerez Tourist Information Office is located at Alameda Cristina - Edificio Los Claustros - 11403 Jerez. Tel. 956 324 47. The office is open from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and from 5:00 pm.
