This is the programme of main events as Malaga gets ready to party during its massive August fair

Malaga is preparing to throw itself into one of its biggest events of the year, the city’s summer fair, which is held this year between Saturday 17 and Saturday 24 August. However, the festivities begin this Friday night with the historical parade of the Catholic Monarchs, which will begin from the Santa María de La Victoria church at 8.30pm and wind its way through the main streets of Malaga centre. At 11.50pm, a spectacular drone light show will be held in Malaga port, followed by the musical firework display to announce the official start of the festivities.

The fair, Malaga’s most attended summer event, attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over the province, along with thousands of tourists and visitors from other areas. The daytime fair is particularly popular with tourists because it offers all of the traditional aspects of Andalusian life at its finest.

Saturday kicks off with the pilgrimage in honour of Santa María de la Victoria, which begins at 10am with the gathering of the horse-drawn carriages and pilgrims in Paseo del Parque.

The festivities of the day fair will begin on Saturday at 1pm, when visitors will enjoy a varied programme of events until 6pm in the jasmine-scented streets and plazas around Calle Larios. These will include rock and pop concerts, verdiales, flamenco and choral performances, children’s activities, and a full programme of bullfights held in the Malagueta bullring.

The daytime festivities continue throughout the week and will be concentrated on Calle Larios and Plaza de la Constitución, and Plaza Las Flores, Plaza del Obispo, Plaza de Merced and Plaza de San Pedro de Alcántara.

Flamenco and ‘copla’ fans will enjoy a series of daily recitals in the municipal ‘caseta’ between 2pm and 11pm by many of region’s most renowned performers, including Bonela Hijo, Antonio Soto, Rocío Alcalá, Pedro Carmona and Juanma de Jerez, among others.

There will also be daily flamenco performances from 2pm at the Peña Juan Breva (Ramón Franquelo, 4).

The official opening of the nighttime fair at the Real de Cortijo de Torres will be led on Saturday (9.30pm) by the singer-songwriter from Malaga, Juan Gómez El Kanka, one of the most successful artists in Spain, achieving great recognition not only in his country but also in Latin American.

Along with the thrill of the attractions, the fairground offers the chance for revellers to participate in the dancing of sevillanas and to enjoy typical Malaga-style cuisine, such as the popular platter of varied fried fish washed down with plenty of Cartojal, the sweet wine par excellence which comes from the Axarquía region of Malaga.

The entertainment in the casetas usually gets going around 10pm and will continue into the early hours. This year’s programme of concerts includes a variety of different genres, although the main focus is on traditional Spanish music such as verdiales, flamenco and copla.

For a full schedule of concerts and activities, see www.malaga.eu/feria-de-malaga