They say that everyone in Seville lives out on the street, and that's because at any time of year, any excuse for adorning the city and dressing up for festivities is a good one.

A blend of religious fervour, love of tradition and the intrinsic character of "all true Sevillanos” together create an incomparable festive atmosphere throughout the year. Apart from the renowned Feria de Abril, there are a number of special occasions when a visit to Seville is well worthwhile.

Easter Week

Easter week in Seville is present throughout the year. More than fifty Brotherhoods work tirelessly to ensure that everything is perfect for those days but it is mainly in Lent when preparations begin to accelerate.

The streets start to acquire the aroma of incense, shop windows are decorated for the occasion and a number of churches open their doors.

During the week of passion, over 1000 Nazarene penitents accompany the processions which pause for improvised sacred songs which accompany them all along the route. The atmosphere is hard to describe and the city is completely transformed.

As for gastronomy, bars and restaurants all over the city serve their own version of typical dishes for Lent, with cod as the basic ingredient.

Departure of the Rocío Brotherhoods from Seville

Fifty days after the end of Easter week, the Pilgrimage of El Rocío begins.

Every year, the brotherhoods of El Rocío in Seville leave their respective headquarters in the city and prepare to walk the nearly 80 km between Seville and the village of El Rocíon in Almonte in the province of Huelva.

As they pass, they fill the streets of Sevilla with colour and festivities and a large crowd accompanies them on the first part of their journey through the city.

Corpus Christi

The festival of Corpus Christi is a deep-rooted tradition in the city of Seville. It is held 60 days after the end of Easter week and starts with a mass in the Cathedral attended by civil and military authorities and personalities from a number of areas.

During the festival of Corpus Christi, the city of Sevilla turns out in full and is sumptuously adorned to make it even more beautiful.

The streets, houses and shop windows are sumptuously decorated. They place altars, shawls and rosemary branches which, together with the incense from the procession, create a characteristic blend of aromas.

The bells in la Giralda ring throughout the procession and give the festivities a musical background.

Vigil of Santa Ana in the Triana neighbourhood

At the end of July, the festival of Santa Ana is held in the neighbourhood of Triana.

The Vigil of Santa Ana or Vigil of Triana is held in the Plaza del Altozano and the surrounding area.

In the centre of the neighbourhood a large stage is installed where every night there are activities, competitions, Flamenco shows and of course… Sevillanas are danced until people can dance nomore. Gastronomy is another prominent feature, and there are stalls serving a wide variety of dishes like grilled sardines and typical fried fish.

At dusk you'll be able to watch the "Juego de la Cucaña" (Greasy Pole Game), for which a barge is moored out in the river and a horizontal pole several metres long is lashed to it and covered with grease. Participants will try to catch the pennant tied to the end of the pole which will require a lot of skill and most of them end up in the river, to the delight of the spectators.

Christmas

Christmas is a very special experience in Seville. The festive atmosphere takes on a new life and a large number of events are organised at this time.

Once again, deep-rooted traditions become prominent, combined with innovative experiences like mapping, a spectacle of light, colour and 3D which is projected onto important buildings and seems to make them come to life.

The Christmas markets add a festive atmosphere to the last days of the year.

Between the Cathedral and the Indies Archive, each year the traditional Nativity Scene Fair is held, where you can purchase decorative articles and handmade figures and it is the starting point for a route visiting the different nativity scenes in the city. Some are real works of art.

The Three Kings Parade is one of the prettiest in Spain. And so it should be: in Seville they get plenty of practice!

Whenever you come there'll always be festivities in Seville. Have fun!