May calendar: all the best events in Andalusia

May is coming up and that only means one thing: a new calendar! April was an amazing month with so much to do. For those who were in Sevilla during the Feria we’re guessing it was month that’ll not be forgotten anytime soon. But fear not, May also has a lot of special events to offer. The summer fairs continue and to be honest, you could go in almost any direction in Andalusia this month and still encounter a feria without even planning it.

Nevertheless, we yet again made a list of those that should DEFINITELY be on your ‘to visit’-list this month.

We ended April’s calendar with Crosses of May, the World People’s Fair  and the Horse Fair in Jerez de la Frontera, which both already kicked off in April, but are still going on in the beginning om May. Go check out the article in case you missed it for more information on these special events.

However Crosses of May is not only an important event happening in Cordoba, if you can’t be there during these days, luckily there’s also Dia de la Cruz on the 3th of May in Granada which is the same concept of the city being decorated with crosses made out of colourful flowers.

Meanwhile the Ferias continue with Feria de Primavera in Rota. The Feria de Abril in Sevilla might be the most famous Feria, but it definitely is not the only one. So even if you missed out on practicing your Sevillana-skills in April (if those skills even exist J ), May offers more Feria’s, so more opportunities to get it right. 2-5 May Rota will be the place where the most beautifully decorated horse-carriages and breath-taking dresses can be spotted. So start socializing with a local, because you do want to experience it from within a real caseta!

A big plus to visiting this event is that Rota is right at the seaside and VERY close to Cadiz. Find out how you can discover Cadiz by bike.

 If there’s ever a month to visit Cordoba, May must be it. In May, Cordoba is in a party-mood like no other city! Their full calendar is packed this month, leaving little time to take a breather. Starting off with Crosses of May and flowing right into the Patios de Cordoba festival after that.

The Patios de Cordoba is a famous event during which almost every patio and balcony in Cordoba gets richly decorated with flowers. You’ll probably never see a city in such a colourful state as this again. This year the festival takes place from 4 until 15 May during which private patios open up for the public. This event features a contest for the best patio and 2 romeria’s. No shortage of events here!

And if you thought it would stop here, you’re mistaken. Only 5 days after the festival finishes, Cordoba’s Feria, or Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud (but let’s stick with ‘Feria de Cordoba’ to keep it easy) is about to start. The feria is similar to Feria de Abril in Sevilla but luckily for you who’s about to visit, the casetas are public! No need for connections with locals here, although of course, we would recommend you to mingle to get the best experience possible! 20 until 28 May, mark it on your calendar!

During the month May a lot of pilgrimages are held to honour different saints. All have their special characteristics and all go together with drinking and dancing. However, they are too numerous to talk about them all in this blogpost. Often medieval traditions are kept alive with these pilgrimages with costumes, dances and by re-enacting battles.

At the end of May from 25 until 28 May one of the pilgrimages called El Rocio takes place in Huelva. We chose this one because, even more than others, it has that medieval and original feel to it. Huelva itself already radiates the vibe of an old western film set, but that gets even more reinforced during these days. Hermandades from all over Spain come to Huelva at the end of May with gypsy wagons pulled by oxen. It all mixes together into amazing scenes to see and of course… it goes together with a great party. It’s a unique opportunity to get to know the ancient culture of Andalusia in a completely non-touristic way!

As you can see, May won’t be a dull month, but don’t use up ALL your energy, because there will be a June calendar coming soon!