Summer fun at Malaga Feria

I am usually of the opinion that if you´ve been to one feria, you´ve been to them all. They are often much of a muchness, and although I am always tempted to go to Marbella and Fuengirola ferias, there is one event for me that stands head and shoulders above the rest. The Feria de Malaga, which takes place between the 16th and 24th August this year boasts a fantastic atmosphere that you don´t find at similar, smaller events along the coast. Our family usually take the train from Fuengirola to the centre of Malaga, so we can happily indulge in too much fino without worrying about driving home. We always visit in the afternoons, and you only have to follow the crowds and the noise to find the hub of the festivities. The beauty of this event is that it doesn´t have a touristy feel to it, and is a much more passionate and intense affair than most of the annual celebrations west of the city. Hundreds of señoritas dance in the streets with their colourful flamenco dresses swirling around them, and don´t miss the horse procession on the first day of the feria, where the horsemen show of their riding skills on some of the most beautiful Andalucian horses you will ever see. This fair is all about eating, drinking, dancing and merry making, and you will always be made to feel welcome. We normally stagger back to the train station around 8pm, footsore, a little bit drunk and happy to have experienced another fabulous Malaga feria. So don your dancing shoes and your flamenco frock and boogie on down there this August.