Sevilla gears up for party week

ONE of Andalucia’s largest festivals, the Feria de Abril in Sevilla, begins tonight (April 20) in an explosion of light and sound.

Altogether 25,000 lights adorning the impressive 40 metre high by 50 metre wide gateway to La Real fairground will be turned on tonight, marking the start of Sevilla’s traditional annual party.

The fairground and its 1,050 casetas (or tents) has received intensive work in the weeks leading up to the big event, with electricians striving to renovate the 35-year-old installations and screw in a whopping 237,000 light-bulbs.

More than 2,700 police officers, 90 firefighters, 95 doctors, 25 Civil Protection volunteers and 473 municipal cleaners are prepared for a busy week, as are public transport services with bus and metro companies increasing their services for the week.