April Fair 2001
In Seville we have a special festival called the April Fair. At
the fair, everybody dances in the tents, rides horses and has fun.
This year Seville’s April Fair started the 30th of April, two weeks
after Holy Week. The Fair takes place on a rectangular piece of land
next to the neighborhood of “Los Remedios.”
There are a lot of streets named after famous bullfighters. There
are also a lot of “casetas” (tents) which are built with metal support
and covered with striped canvas.
Most of the women wear flamenco dresses that are of bright colours
and have a lot of flounces. Some men also dress for the Fair in what
is called “El Traje de Corto,” which includes tight-fitting, high-waisted
trousers, a ruffled shirt, a bolero jacket and a wide-brimmed hat.
However, typically it is only the men who ride horses that dress this way.
by Rocio M. and Nina V.
The April Fair is in Seville and there are a lot of people. The fair opens Monday at midnight with an illumiation of the main gate. It’s very beautiful. People go to the tents and there they dance “Sevillanas,” drink a lot of Manzanilla, eat “pescaito” (fried fish), and have a lot of fun. Most of the teenagers go to the fair at night which is the best part because you can do whatever you want. Many people do a lot of “botellonas” that are a lot of people drinking on the streets with their own bottles. Traditional dress is the flamenco dress for the women and the “traje de corto” for the men, although men typically wear it only when they are riding horses. Not a lot of men wear them now. The fair is great but one of the best things is “Hell Street.” There are a lot of attractions on Hell Street but they are very expensive. Children and most of the young people like it, though, and some children only go for it.
by Luis C. and Patricia S.
“The April Fair” is the place where people go to dance flamenco, drink
a special wine and eat typical dishes.
The streets are named for very famous bullfighters in Seville.
That means that the April Fair and the bullfighting are related because
the most important bullfights are during the April Fair. Also flamenco
dancing is related because when you are dancing you imitate bullfighting.
Flamenco dancing is a mix of bullfighting and seduction.
The first night at the fair we usually start by eating “pescaito frito.”
After dinner, the lights are turned on starting from the gate, proceeding
through all the streets until the fairground is entirely lit, and the fair
starts.
In many ways, it is like a private party because people from Seville
stay in private pavillions and foreigners can’t go inside. Even though
there are public pavillions, which attract a lot of people, they can’t
enjoy the party as much.
Therefore, if you want to have fun at the Fair, you need to know somebody
in Seville.
by Stella B. and Jose Manuel M.
The April Fair starts on Sunday (two weeks after Easter) with the “pescaito.”
It is a party where all people eat fried fish and drink manzanilla (a special
wine) while they wait for them to turn on all the lights that there are
in their strets. This party happens in little tents called “casetas.”
This night people wear good dresses to go to their private tents.
This dinner costs about 5.000 pesetas.
The following seven days are full of fun. Women wear a typical
dress of “flamenco” and all men a “traje de corto” to ride horses.
There are only horses, no cars or buses.
During the day there are a lot of families eating in the casetas and
everyone at the fair is very happy; at night the Fair is full of teens
who eat and have fun.
For the young there are a lot of attractions on the Hell Street.
The last day finishes with fireworks that you can see next to the river.
by Rocio F.
April Fair 2002
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April Fair 2003
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