It’s been a while since the April Fair It took flight to expand beyond (much beyond) Seville. Today they organize their own fairs with a profusion of flamenco and polka dots in Galicia, Catalonia, Castile and León either Cantabriaas well as in other countries, including other side of the ocean. The reason is very simple. Its mix of dance, gastronomy and culture is popular. So much so, in fact, that in Madrid they have decided to launch your own fair in a big way, with a multi-week event.
Its objective is to expand by 200,000 m2 and attract 800,000 visitors.
One word: Madrilucía. The name is a declaration of intentions. The objective of Madrilucia is to bring the spirit of the April Fair to the capital. In fact, its organizers they present it as “the first great Andalusian fair in Madrid”, with hundreds of booths, spaces dedicated to fashion, horse parades, gastronomy, music, culture… A little piece of the south spread throughout the capital.
The event aspires to take up the witness of the fairs held between 1986 and 1995 at the initiative of Francisco de Paula López and which filled the Puerta de Alcalá or Gran Vía with horses, with carriages like those seen in Seville. López, a Sevillian who emigrated to Madrid in the early 70s, decided to promote a fair in the city to “unite the Andalusians” and overthrow clichés. The initiative even gave rise to a documentary broadcast by Canal Sur, ‘Operation Madrilucía’.
One figure: 200,000. The Madrid fair will be organized in the Iberdrola Music (Villaverde, Madrid) and will occupy in total, according to those responsible, more than 200,000 square meters“an ephemeral town” made up of more than 400 booths. The offer is completed with “horses, tapas, concerts and flamenco fashion.”
The space will in fact be divided into a “festive” area dedicated to live music, with booths and catering; another cultural one, in which stands dedicated to art, fashion and saddlery will be concentrated; and others focused on equestrian culture, gastronomy, leisure and music. Of course, reserve one of their booths it doesn’t come cheap: the Madrilucía website provides information on options that they range from 55,000 to 59,000 euros (plus VAT) per week, depending on the level of decoration.
Go for 800,000. The Madrid fair will not overlap with that of Seville, scheduled for the week from April 21 to 26. Madrilucía will start almost immediately afterwards: on May 9. Those in charge already warn that it will be prolonged 20 days and the objective is to attract some 800,000 people until the first days of June. For now, it already has the support of popular figures, such as the bullfighter Sebastián Castella, who has dedicated a video to promote the event.
Heads and tails. Although the organizers point out that they hope that the fair “coexist with the local environment”the neighboring Getafe City Council has already expressed its concern about the noise and overcrowding that the fair may generate.
“If for a weekend like the Mad Cool or Regaetton Beach Festival the M45 and streets of the Marconi industrial estate in Villaverde are closed, affecting companies and workers, and access is prevented for residents of Getafe and Villaverde to get to their homes, what will be the device that the Madrid City Council and the Community intend to deploy for a fair that will last 20 days?” they pointed out recently to News for Municipalities from the Executive of Getafe, governed by the PSOE.
Why is it important? Because beyond the event, its scope or impact on the environment, Madrilucía confirms the expansion (and popularity) of the April Fair beyond Seville and Andalusia. two years ago in fact we told you how a debate had spread on networks about the appropriate dress code to attend the fair or how virality of the hashtag #papagorda to show people who had overindulged in drinks at the fair led the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia (CAA) to warn of the risks to record without consent.
Images |Madrilucia
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings