The revamped Paseo hosts Almería’s Feria for the first time since its €11.2m transformation

For more than a year Almería’s main promenade has been a building site. Now, largely car-free after an €11.2 million transformation, the Paseo de Almería returns as the centre of the city’s Feria for the first time since the works began, backed by new bus routes and one of its biggest security operations yet. 

The pedestrianised Paseo returns as the Feria’s stage for the first time

Almería City Council has spent €11.2 million rebuilding Paseo de Almería as a largely car-free public space under its ‘Ciudad de Plazas’ project, removing 9,700 square metres of asphalt, planting more than 320 trees and reserving just 3,600 square metres of restricted lane for residents, public transport and emergency vehicles. The works began in January 2025 and left the promenade unable to host the Feria’s usual activities while they were under way.

This year, for the first time since the transformation began, the council has restored what mayor María del Mar Vázquez called the Paseo’s historic role as a festival hub, with a miniature fair entrance at Puerta de Purchena, seven ambigú stalls (food and drink stands) spread across five plazas and a photocall area. For the nine days of the fair, between Friday August 21 and Saturday August 29, even that restricted resident and public transport lane is closed completely between Puerta de Purchena and the junction with Calle Lachambre and Calle Rueda López, with just two crossing points left open for people needing to reach the other side, according to the council’s full mobility guide.

The fairground goes car-free every night

From 6pm to 6am each day between August 21 and 29, the Recinto Ferial (fairground) is closed to general traffic altogether. Only public transport and residents with a permit can enter, through checkpoints at the Camino de la Goleta roundabout and Avenida Vega de Acá, or a new checkpoint at the junction of Árbol de la Seda and Camino de la Goleta.

One-off closures apply on top of that. The Dianas Floreadas parades on August 22, 23, 26 and 29 bring progressive traffic stops from 11am, a historical re-enactment through the centre closes streets on August 23, and the Batalla de Flores parade shuts Avenida Federico García Lorca and central streets including the Rambla from mid-afternoon on August 24.

Eight new bus routes link the city for €1.30 a ride

The city council has added eight special lines, labelled F1 to F8, connecting neighbourhoods including La Salle, Calle Granada, Pescadería, Piedras Redondas, El Alquián, Retamar, Torrecárdenas and Cruz Roja directly to the fairground. They run from 8pm to 7am, starting an hour earlier on August 26, 28 and 29, with a flat fare of €1.30 across the whole special network.

Traffic councillor María del Mar García Lorca said the reinforced service was designed to give residents ‘comfortable and accessible’ travel to and from the fair. Twenty-six vehicles have been assigned to the special routes alone, with the wider network running up to 60 buses at peak times. 

More than 300 police officers a day, plus drones and a new mounted unit 

Security for this year’s fair involves more than 300 officers and staff a day, drawn from the Policía Local, Policía Nacional, Guardia Civil, Bomberos de Almería (the fire service), Protección Civil and private security firms, alongside medical teams. 

New this year is an aerial drone system giving live video coverage of the fairground and surrounding streets, and a mounted police unit joining patrols for the first time. Rapid-intervention and canine units are also deployed, alongside breathalyser checks on drivers and food safety inspections across the site’s stalls. 

Mayor María del Mar Vázquez asked residents to ‘enjoy the fair with responsibility, civility and confidence’ in the measures put in place to keep it safe.

David Bisbal returned home for the fair’s biggest anniversary

Almería-born singer David Bisbal gave the traditional sermón (a ceremonial address in the Virgin’s honour) at the Virgen del Mar sanctuary on Friday August 21 at 7:30pm, as the city marked 75 years since she was granted her canonical coronation. He also gave a spectacular performance while closing the final night at Cooltural Fest, the city’s biggest music festival of the year, that brought more than 60 acts to Almería this year, including Lori Meyers, Ana Torroja, Hombres G and Rigoberta Bandini.

Behind a newly built 22.5-metre illuminated entrance gate, the fair runs to 21 casetas (marquees), three bullfights and a closing procession honouring the Virgen del Mar on August 30, when Almería’s newest public space will complete its very first Feria.