For the first time since 1962, the Sevilla April Feria is being held in May and will coincide with the start of campaigning for the municipal elections on May 22nd, although no campaigning is permitted at the Feria.
The Feria is usually held two weeks after Easter Sunday, although this year the interval will only be eight days.
Municipal ordinances state that the Feria should begin in April and always starts at midnight on Fried Fish Monday. This year, though, Fried Fish Monday is May 2nd.
Another new regulation at this year’s feria is a smoking ban inside the ‘casetas’ (marquees) as they contain food and are attended by minors.
The 2011 Feria pays tribute to the sailors who set off from Sevilla with Ferdinand Magellan in 1519 to circumnavigate the globe, a journey which took three years and during which Magellan himself died.
There are 1.047 casetas this year, of which 526 belong to families, 310 to businesses, 192 to peñas (clubs), 11 to municipal departments or services, 6 to municipal districts and 2 to municipalities.