Feria de Jerez, also known as Feria del Caballo (Horse Fair) is one of the most important celebrations in Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...

, only comparable to Easter religious celebrations. It is the most important fair in (Cádiz) and has been declared as international interest celebration by Spanish Secretariat for Tourism and Commerce, that belongs to Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce.

History

Its origins are in the medieval ages, during one week farmers gathered to sell and buy animals, in Jerez mainly horses, usually drinking sherry

Sherry

Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....

 to celebrate the deals.

Celebration

Nowadays it is celebrated in Parque González Hontoria (Jerez

Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...

). It is always celebrated in May, one week after Feria de Abril, of Sevilla and before El Rocío.
The Feria is divided in two parts: one is a kind of small village, with streets that have bars and restaurants at both sides (these restaurants are called Casetas). The other is a Theme Park/carnival style area where kids and grown ups can have fun on different rides such as roller coasters, bumper cars etc...

At the Feria de Jerez all the casetas are public, so anyone can just walk into any one and enjoy the food, drinks, and dancing. This is one of the main features that differentiates it from the Seville Fair

Seville Fair

The Seville Fair is held in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain. The fair generally begins two weeks after the Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week....

 as most of the "casetas" there are private and therefore only card holding members are allowed in.

In the casetas, throughout the day and night, people will usually be found drinking fino

Fino

Fino is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. They are drunk comparatively young, and unlike the sweeter varieties should be drunk soon after the bottle is opened as exposure to air can cause them to lose their flavour within hours.-Flor:The defining component of Fino...

 sherry

Sherry

Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....

, and in more recent years a new trend is to mix the fino

Fino

Fino is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. They are drunk comparatively young, and unlike the sweeter varieties should be drunk soon after the bottle is opened as exposure to air can cause them to lose their flavour within hours.-Flor:The defining component of Fino...

with lemonade and ice cubes creating a cocktail commonly known as Rebujito.

At night time there is a sort of "roof" of pretty decorative lights lighting this little "village" like area, which allows the party to last all the way till dawn.

Dates

• 2011: from May 8 to May 15
• 2009: from May 10 to May 17.
• 2008: from April 27 to May 4.
• 2007: from May 6 to May 13.