Turning on the Fair | Seville Feria, Fascinating Fact

The first thing you'll see when you arrive at the Seville Fair from the city centre is the portada - the gateway

Seville Feria - Fascinating Fact 1 - Turning on the Seville fair

by Fiona Flores Watson

The first thing you'll see when you arrive at the Seville Fair from the city centre is the portada - the gateway, where you traditionally enter the fairground. Everyone gets their photo taken in front of the portada. The huge structure gracing the entrance is an important part of the Fería decoration (designs are submitted each year, from which the winning entry is chosen), with Seville’s portada modelled after a different building or theme each year.

The fair officially begins when the mayor ceremoniously turns on the lights (the alumbrao) – starting with the 22,000 bulbs that cover the portada. From there, the rest of the fairground lights up, section by section, in a wave that still makes newspaper front covers every year. The portada looks magical lit up at night time.