22 Apr, 2024 @ 11:06
1 min read

Sevilla to hold a referendum on moving the Feria de Abril: Three MILLION people attended this year and brought in €6bn – but some locals say it’s ‘overrun with tourists’

D2HD74 Colourful casetas at Feria de abril de Sevilla (Seville April Fair), Seville, Sevilla Province, Andalucia, Spain. Image shot 2016. Exact date unknown.

A REFERENDUM is to be held into Sevilla’s Feria de Abril after three MILLION people attended this year’s festivities, bringing in €6bn 

This year’s feria has outshone 2022’s two million, with over 1,070,962 more attendees. 

On Sunday, Sevilla mayor, Jose Luis Sanz called the event an ‘economic force’ that the city must ‘protect’.

Now, Sevillanos will get to decide how the feria works next year in a referendum taking place from Monday, April 22 at 9:00am to Thursday, April 25, at 08:00pm.

READ MORE: ‘I went to the first weekend of the Feria de Abril in Sevilla – THESE are my top tips on surviving the chaos’

The Sevilla feria is a tradition dating back hundreds of years. Photo: Cordon Press

The vote will decide whether the event will run from Monday to Sunday or continue as it is from Saturday to Saturday. 

Anyone over 18 registered in the city from February 29, 2024 can take part in the referendum. 

Caseta and carriage owners can also take part even if they are not registered in Sevilla. 

In this case, the voter must have their official documents from the Delegacion de Fiestas Mayores del Ayuntamiento. 

You can vote through the Ayuntamiento website or in district offices. 

In both cases, the voters must register on the council website and give a telephone number. 

After registering, voters will receive a SMS code to proceed to vote. 

The dates of the feria were last changed in 2017 following another vote from the ‘traditional’ Monday to Sunday dates. 

In recent years, the feria has been the source of much contention for the city, with some complaining it has been ‘overrun’ by tourists.

READ MORE: Scandalous behaviour at Sevilla’s Feria de Abril is put on full display thanks to social media hashtag – including sex in broad daylight, staggering drunks and stripping festival goers

The event still maintains its private ‘caseta’ format, where families, business and local organisations have private spaces to enjoy the festivities.

Nonetheless, the floods of visitors from Spain and beyond has put pressure on the event, with crowded public casetas and busy transport systems.

Many have complained about waiting ‘hours’ for local buses, crowded metros and obscenely expensive taxis.

Changing the event may help relieve the pressure on the city by reducing the feria by one day and making it during the working week so tourists are less likely to attend.

READ MORE: Travel chaos at the Feria de Abril in Sevilla: €150 for 11-minute Ubers, mammoth queues for buses and metro services overwhelmed as daily visitor numbers soar by 20,000

Yzabelle Bostyn

After spending much of her childhood in Andalucia and adulthood between Barcelona and Latin America, Yzabelle has settled in the Costa del Sol to put her NCTJ & Journalism Masters to good use. She is particularly interested in travel, vegan food and has been leading the Olive Press Nolotil campaign. Have a story? email yzabelle@theolivepress.es

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ayto Marbella Angeles Munoz, The Mayor Of Marbella
Previous Story

Marbella reveals when it will decide on the filling up of private swimming pools – as drought conditions remain ‘grave’

Next Story

Woman, 82, is killed after being run over by a sightseeing train for tourists on Spain’s Costa del Sol

Latest from Andalucia

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press

Ryanair confirms major change to its check-in rules for next year

RYANAIR has announced a major change to its boarding pass

Slash the red tape! Experts in Spain demand lowering of bureaucratic hurdles to new construction projects

WITH rents soaring and a projected shortfall of 600,000 homes