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Draft:Spring Fair and Fine Wine Festival

Coordinates: 36°36′49″N 6°14′25″W / 36.6136°N 6.2403°W / 36.6136; -6.2403
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Inauguration of the Fair: hoisting of flags.

The Spring Fair and Fine Wine Festival is a typical Andalusian fair, that is celebrated annually in the city of El Puerto de Santa María in Cadiz. Its official name was always Spring Fair, but in recent times has changed to Spring Fair and Fine Wine Festival. It is the most important local festival in the Cadiz city.

Historical background

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In its beginnings, it stemmed from traditional livestock trade, in which farmers from different districts would turn up to close their trades. This farmer fair, the livestock fair, was celebrated in the morning, in the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, during the night they would have an evening party in the Victoria park, which was called the Victoria Fair. With time, the livestock fair disappeared and this evening party extended its festive schedule, resulting in the current fair which is something between a regional event and a travelling fair, with typically Andalusian characteristics (stalls in small tents, Sevillian folk music and dance, etc.). Ultimately, a meeting place for all the El Puerto de Santa María society and its visitors.

Dates

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It is always celebrated in spring, hence its name, and always after Holy Week, it normally starts on the last Wednesday of the month of April. It is usually celebrated just after the April Fair (Seville), which is first of the Andalusian fairs, and the El Puerto fair is second. It ends up lasting five days (from Thursday to Monday), although the previous Wednesday the alumbrao is carried out (the lighting switch-on test) and there are many visitors – mainly from the city – that come to enjoy the fair.

Fair grounds

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Cover of the 2009 fair.

The vast fairground has continually changed over the last years. The 1966 livestock fair was celebrated in what is today the El Palmar industrial estate, while the "Victoria Fair" was celebrated in the park of the same name. In the 1970s it moved to the Crevillet area, then in the 1980s, to its current location in the Las Banderas fair grounds, in the outskirts of the city, next to the El Puerto-Sanlúcar highway. It is there where all the festive activity is usually performed, as well as many of the typical competitions for the riders and for the stall decorations.

Dedications

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Since the year 1988, it is custom to dedicate the fair to an autonomous community or province that has some relationship to the city. Therefore, it has been consecutively dedicated to:

For this reason, the name of the autonomous community is usually given to a street in the fair grounds. A person born in that district who has lived for the longest time in the city is also chosen to start the lighting ceremony which starts the fair or to set off the parting fireworks. As well as this, the autonomous community in question puts up a stall in the fair which offers the best tourist information of that place, offering various typical products, organizing activities…

(*) They set up stalls each year since their dedication

Performances

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  • Lighting ceremony test
It is usually celebrated the night before the first day around 10pm; lately, with the fair dedicated to a Spanish region, the lighting test is carried out by a person from that region who has lived for the longest time in El Puerto.

In 2006, the lighting ceremony was started by the professor of the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference Espíritu Santo Asunción Montero.

  • Official inauguration
The raising of the flags happens across from the municipal stall. The current mayor usually raises the flag of El Puerto; the representative of the region dedicated raises their flag; an admiral of the navy at the Rota naval base raises the Spanish flag; and a member of the Cadiz Provincial Council raises the flag of Andalusia. Meanwhile a choir sings for the region to create the "welcoming committee".
  • Conformation competition
Awards are given to the horses.
  • Chariot competition
Awards are given to the chariots.
  • Dressage competition
Competition of classic dressage and western dressage
  • Stall competition
The stalls are evaluated and awarded for the exteriors and the decorations (generally the stalls to the left and right of the municipal stall) and for the interiors.

It was interrupted from 2006 to 2008, where only 3 booths set up a façade (one of which was the Corrígete Charo booth).

  • When the fair ends
A person from that region who has lived for the longest time in the city is also usually chosen to set off the parting fireworks.

Typical features

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Municipal stand, 2009 fair.

As the typical Andalusian fair that it is, the El Puerto one can be distinguished by some characteristic features:

  • The use of fair stalls, where people come to dance and meet up with friends and acquaintances. In terms of the number of stalls, the El Puerto fair is the largest fair in the bay of Cadiz. A characteristic feature of this fair, in contrast to other Andalusian fairs, is the openness of their stalls (free access): you don’t have to be a member, wait in queues or know anyone who put up the stall to enter and eat any of the typical dishes of this time of year.
  • The traditional costumes: a short suit for men who ride the horse and, above all, a flamenco dress for women, to flaunt it while they dance.
  • The accompaniment of Sevillian folk music and dance, typical Andalusian music which is sung and danced everywhere. The fair stall is the suitable and ideal place for this type of dance.  Drinking fine wine. The typical drink of the fair is fine wine, which many, in recent years, enjoy mixing with lime sodas, a mix known as rebujito.  Tasting traditional food. The food is quite varied, but the best of all are seafood, mojama (salt-cured tuna), pescaíto frito (fried fish) and typical stews, as well as traditional "fair food": Spanish omelette, grilled peppers, meat skewers, etc. Snails, lettuce and churros with chocolate are also consumed.
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