The Malaga Fair is one of the most important and eagerly awaited events of the summer by locals, tourists and visitors, especially in recent years, after the pandemic, which we hardly remember any more. Now we will once again enjoy long days of joy and fun with family and friends, gathered to chat, eat and drink in one of the many “casetas” (fair tents), almost all of which are open to the public. Also to dance and listen to music, of all styles, in these same stalls or in the many concerts and shows that take place during these days.
This festival has its origins in the commemoration of the incorporation of Malaga to the Crown of Castile by the Catholic Monarchs, who entered the city on the 19th of August 1487. Much later, it has come down to us as the great summer festival, with an open, cosmopolitan and international feel, reflecting the character of the capital of the Costa del Sol.
What to see and do at the Malaga Fair with your family
In 2024, the Fair will be held from the 17th to the 24th of August and starts the previous day, with a novelty that comes from years ago such as “The historical parade of Malaga” followed by the usual fireworks display. For the third year running, there will also be a very cool light show with drones. Getting together with friends to watch the fireworks is already a tradition for many families. The options for watching the fireworks are many and varied. From meeting on the beach or in a beach bar, to dining in a luxury restaurant with a terrace and spectacular views, to booking a place on a catamaran to watch them from the bay. It’s up to you. As last year, the opening speech will be on Saturday, to coincide with the lighting of the Portada del Real de la Feria in Cortijo de Torres and will be given by the popular Malaga singer “El Kanka”.
The rest of the days there is a full programme with a series of events and shows, which are held both in El Real and in the so-called “Feria del Centro”, which takes place in different locations in the historic centre of the city.
Events and shows at the Malaga Fair for the whole family
In the historic centre
One of the traditional events of the Malaga Fair is the Visit to the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Victoria. In it, horse riders, carriages and anyone who wishes to, accompany the person who has been designated that year as the Fair Standard Bearer by the Traders’ Association of the Historic Centre.
Every day, in squares such as Constitución, La Merced, Obispo, Las Flores and San Pedro de Alcántara, you can taste wines and tapas accompanied by music from different groups. Calle Larios, with its verdiales bands, and the Peña de Juan Breva, with its flamenco sessions, are responsible for the most genuinely Andalusian touch.
In the Real de la Feria
In the Real de la Feria, located in the Cortijo de Torres enclosure, as we have already mentioned, practically all the “casetas” have free access, as long as there is sufficient capacity, and some even offer performances to their customers. In the Caseta Municipal del Flamenco y la Copla, the Caseta de los Verdiales or the Auditorio Municipal, we can enjoy live performances by well-known artists.
In the Explanada de la Juventud, DJs like Toni Solís or bands of different styles attract a somewhat younger audience, old rockers or youngsters who also like the music our children listen to.
Horses and bulls
If you like horses, there is the “Paseo de Enganches” or the show “Homenaje a la equitación española” at the Equestrian Exhibition Centre. For bullfighting enthusiasts, bullfights and novilladas are held almost daily in the Plaza de Toros de La Malagueta.
Eating and drinking at the Malaga Fair with the family
The Fair is the perfect place to taste some of the most typical meals of Andalusian gastronomy. In Malaga the most common dishes to eat at the Feria are “porra (cold andthick soup similar to cordoban salmorejo), fried aubergines with sugar cane honey, potato omelette, a good plate of ham and cheese or a good “fritura malagueña” (fried vegetables), among other things.
To wash down all these delicious dishes there are many options, from a cold beer, a sweet local wine, a rebujito, etc. The options are many and varied. The important thing is to drink in moderation, especially if you go with your family, as children, even if they don’t seem to be aware of it, take note of everything.
Families and children at the Malaga Fair
Families, and especially the youngest members of the family, also have a special place in this festival, as a multitude of activities and events are organised so that they too can have a good time.
In the Plaza de la Merced, we have the Magic Fair “Faraones” with workshops, theatre, storytelling, puppets, magic and much more. In the Real de la Feria, in the Municipal Children’s tent, every day there is a different show for young and old to enjoy.
Taking a horse and carriage ride with the whole family around the Malaga Fair is also a good plan to do with the kids, they will love the idea!
They can also have fun on the many attractions at the fairgrounds, which, like every year, will probably have a day with cheaper prices.
Sometimes, though, the most fun is in the good times and the laughter shared with the family.
Useful information about the Malaga Fair
How to get around, where to park and where to ask questions
As we have already mentioned, in Malaga there are two Fairs, the one in the centre, which ends at 18:00 hours and the one in the Real which lasts from midday until late at night. The best way to get to the Fair in the centre is by public transport (train, if you are coming from outside Malaga), taxi, bus, etc. There is a large number of public and private car parks in the city, but they tend to fill up early and leaving your car all day is a bit expensive, although if there are several of you, it might be worth paying for parking,
As for the Feria del Real, there are several car parks in the surrounding areas such as Feria Norte-Palacio de Ferias, Pierrot-Centro Comercial, Los Prados, Huerta del Correo and Teatinos and there are usually no problems. There are also taxi and bus services and if not, there is always the option of chauffeur-driven vehicles such as Cabify, Uber or Bolt.
As for where to go to ask questions, if you’re lost, they have set up an information tent, number 175, where you can get information in several languages during the whole week of the fair.
In addition, this year the City Council has also enabled the mobile application Geocasetas to locate all the tents and services of the fair.
Special services at the Malaga Fair
Apart from the Geocasetas mobile app, the City Councilhas set up services for osmotic patients. They are located in Avda. de las Malagueñas (next to the main entrance of the Aduana) and in the Caseta El Rengue from 12:00 to 00:00 hours. The service is exclusively for ostomates and they must call the number 624413872 beforehand to be given the access code..
Where to stay during the Malaga Fair with the family
Malaga has a remarkable amount of accommodation of all kinds, from 5-star hotels such as the Gran Hotel Miramar, with an interesting offer for families, to very modest accommodation, but with a good value for money. If you need accommodation in Malaga, but you don’t have the budget to stay in one of the hotels mentioned above, a good option is to use Booking. We always use them when we travel and they have never let us down, although at fairs it is advisable to book well in advance.
Dressing up, not dressing down, to go to the Fair
If you want to fully immerse yourself in any fair, dressing up as a ‘gitana’ (a colloquial term for flamenco dress or faralaes) or ‘de corto’ (a costume worn by men, but which can also be worn by women) is a good place to start. You can either buy or rent. In Malaga there are shops like El Rocío, among others, which have gypsy and short dresses at good prices. If you prefer to rent it, the newspaper ABC gives us the keys in this article.
A little dance?
And once we are, we insist, dressed up, not dressed for the occasion, the best thing to do is to dance some sevillanas. If you don’t know how to dance them, here is a video so that you can be the kings of the dance floor, or in these cases of the tablao:
The finale to all the fun is once again a spectacular fireworks display, which will make it less burdensome for us to return to our routine, probably exhausted but happy.
The Malaga Fair has become an essential date in the summer festive calendar… are you going to miss it?
Malaga
- For all ages
- Duration: 9 days
- Available: August
- Price: Free of charge (check available services)
- Accessible for disabled people and/or pushchairs
