Flip-flops banned at the Malaga fair

BARS in the centre of Malaga City want to introduce ‘elegance’ back to daytime fair – or feria – which will be held from next Friday to the following Sunday, by banning flip-flops.

The Malaga Hoteliers Association said this also aims to protect the public from the danger of being stepped on or cutting their feet with glass which may be on the ground. The President, Rafael Prados, explained that establishments throughout the city centre will put up notices recommending the use of other footwear, and added that owners would not be held responsible for any injuries sustained by people who decided to ignore this advice.

The ban is not restricted to flip-flops, but also applies to anyone wanting to enter premises without a shirt. Establishments with doormen will ban access to anyone not properly clothed, and those which don’t have anyone checking at the door will be able to refuse to serve men with bare chests, as well as women in bikinis or beachwear.

During the fair, even walking the streets of Malaga city centre without wearing a shirt or in beachwear will be banned and those who fail to abide by the rules will be cautioned by the Local Police.

Meanwhile, the Hoteliers Association fears that sales will be down at this year’s fair, and when asked about proposals to move the date of the fair back to September, Prdos said local hoteliers were against the idea, especially because “the holidays are practically over, people have more expenses with the return to school and university students are sitting exams”

“It would be a step backwards to change the date after all the effort which has gone into promoting the fair in August” he said. The idea behind changing it to September is to attract more tourists and allow people to enjoy the fair without having to put up with such high temperatures.

This year, the fair will have more than 200 acts, mostly concerts for all tastes and age groups. There will also be an Intercultural Music and Dance Festival in the centre of Malaga with South American and Eastern European folklore. There will be bullfights with well-known namessuch as El Juli, Manzanares, Paquirri, Enrique Ponce, Conde, Castella, Cayetano and Morante.

Flip-flops, and scantily clad men and women are being asked to dress up or stay out at the Malaga Feria which starts next week. EWN asked the public what they thought.

Kevin Palmer, age 50 from Derby (UK), works in construction in Leicester and is on holiday in Benalmadena for the first time said “If you feel comfortable with wearing flip-flops then I think there is no problem, you should be able to wear whatever you want, however if it is a major safety issue then you should be made to wear shoes.”

Jose Calle, age 58, from Malaga, a civil servant for Malaga Council said “Ithink it shouldn’t be a formal occasion because its about having fun, having a laugh and a dance, the feria use to be very popular but now only posh people go. My family have never had any problems with broken glass on the floor and it’s too hot to wear a suit and shoes, you’d be drenched with sweat before you got there! I’ve lived here all my life, born and bred here and everyone is used to our way of life, it’s a fact.”

Half Spanish, half British Jose Luis Calle Stevens, 18, a bar tender in Wales is visiting his father nd has been going to the Malaga feria since he was born.

“Since I work in a bar I can see the health and safety issues but to be honest there should just be a disclaimer informing people about the risks of broken glass and the danger of wearing flip-flops. Alternatively they could serve the drinks in plastic cups. I wouldn’t like to wear formal clothes to a ‘fiesta’.”

Graheme McCome, age 32, Aldi assistant manager owith his wife Fiona McCome age 29, both from Scotland. Fiona said, “We’ve never been before, and we would go even with the new rules. But the problem is, when you’re on holiday you don’t tend to carry trainers and formal clothes to a sunny holiday destination! It didn’t occur to me to check up the dress code before we got here.”

Graheme: “I don’t agree about men not wearing t-shirts even if it is hot, but it’s a lot comfier to wear flip-flops than trainers, you just want to be relaxed when you come on holiday.”

Debra Murray, age 44, owner of Hugos Bar in Benalmadena said, “When I went last year I wore flip-flops and a bikini top with no issues. I had no problem at all with glass bottles but the dangers are not very well advertised.”

Toñi Marcchan Garcia, age 40 is a house wife and lives in Benalmadena with her three children aged 8, 16 and19 with her husband, she said, “I think there is a lack of respect when women come with just their bikinis and men without shirts.”

When we told her about the new dress code and asked her what she would be wearing this year she replied, “Well I would wear trainers then! So long as I’m comfy I can have a good time!”