GUIDE to MALAGA FAIR 2024

This is my guide to the Malaga Fair 2024, which has the following dates: August 17th to 24th, 2024 in Malaga capital.

Here you can find the dates of the Malaga Fair, its history, the poster, where it is held, the headquarters of the Center and Teatinos (Cortijo de Torres Fairgrounds), how to get around, where to eat at the Fair, where to go, transportation options and, of course, the best advice. In short, the most complete guide to the Malaga Fair 2024.

The Malaga Fair is, along with Holy Week in Malaga, the two most important festivals in the city of Malaga.

The Malaga Fair 2024 will begin at midnight on Friday, August 16th (with the traditional light and pyromusical show on the city’s beaches), which will give way on Saturday the 17th to the traditional pilgrimage in the historic center as well as the proclamation and the on at Real, already at night and will end on Saturday, August 24th.

Malaga-Fair-Calle-Larios

If you´re visiting Malaga, these links will be really useful for you:

Table of Contents

Brief history of the Malaga Fair.

The main thing is to know that the Malaga Fair, also known as the August Fair, celebrates and remembers the taking of the city by the Catholic Monarchs on August 19th, 1487, incorporating it into the Crown of Castile.

The first celebration, after the formation of the Malaga City Council, took place on August 15th, 1491 with a procession. The following year the date was moved to the remembered August 19th. The fair was held every year and in the 17th century, rockets and fireworks displays were already being launched (something that continues to occur at the current Fair).

Throughout history the celebrations have had a discontinuous and irregular character and are sometimes mixed and diluted with other religious celebrations, such as Corpus Christi, which for some years has the value of a Fair.

A key milestone in the History of the Malaga Fair will be the year 1887, the IV Centenary of the Conquest.

When is the Malaga Fair 2024? Dates.

The Malaga Fair 2024 is held from Saturday, August 17th to August 24th, with a duration of 7 days.

August 19th is a local holiday, being the holiday incorporated into the Malaga Fair 2024.

Fireworks-Malaga-Fair

The fireworks at the Malaga Fair 2024.

The fireworks officially kick off the celebrations and are held at midnight (0:00) from Friday, August 16th to Saturday, August 17th. They last approximately 20 minutes.

That night there is no Fair as such, but many people take the opportunity to go out at night in the center of Malaga, being a pre-fair and the preview of what begins on Saturday the 17th.

The fireworks are launched from the access area to the cruise terminal and are visible from many points in the city, even from Torremolinos or Rincón de la Victoria we can see it.

The ideal place, used mainly by families and locals, is the beach, with the most popular beaches being Misericordia, Huelin and Malagueta.

If you want to see it from the center of Malaga you will have to look for an elevated place (Coracha or Castillo de Gibralfaro) or one with good views of the bay such as Muelle Uno.

Malaga Fair 2024.

Considered one of the most important fairs in Spain, the Malaga Fair is a key event to learn about the city’s culture and a must if you have never been to the city. It is estimated that during the week of celebration (August 17 to 24, 2024), 1 million people visit it.

It has nothing to do with the Seville Fair, where the “casetas” are mostly closed/private, here in Malaga everything is public and open to everyone, so you just have to want to have a good time.

Poster of the Malaga Fair.

The Malaga Fair poster becomes official one month before the celebration of the festival.

Poster-Malaga-Fair

Where is the Malaga fair held?

One of the peculiarities of the Malaga Fair is that we have two celebration areas.

Day fair is held (mainly) in the center of Malaga and at the Cortijo de Torres fairgrounds.
Night fair is held only at the Cortijo de Torres fairgrounds.

We can say that in Malaga there are two fairs, daytime and nighttime, which can be combined on the same day, held on separate days or opt for just one of them.

I explain how each of them works, what location they have in the city and the most important thing you should know.

The Malaga City Council has a website with all the official information on the Malaga Fair and its entire program of celebrations.

Malaga-Day-Fair-Plaza-Constitucion

Malaga Center Fair – Day Fair

The center of Malaga is decked out for its big festival, the day fair, and since Saturday, August 17th, the streets of the historic center, starting with Larios street with its imposing façade (which varies each year), are decorated with lanterns and floral ornaments.

Here we can find the classics of a fair, people dressed in flamenco costumes, verdiales groups singing and entertaining the streets and people, many people.

The atmosphere is very special and everything comes together in the Plaza de la Constitución, where you will find tents to drink and eat, a stage for musical performances and you can move through the other important streets of the center.

If you are looking to integrate more with the fair atmosphere, you will have dozens of stalls selling hats, scarves, glasses and everything you need to experience the atmosphere of the fair in the center of Malaga.

The hours of the day Fair in Malaga are, generally, from 12pm to 6 p.m., at which time the music in the street turns off and many people begin to enter the bars and pubs in the area.

Verdiales-Malaga-Fair

Where to go at the Malaga Center Fair?

Knowing that the main axis is Larios Street and that the only option is to walk, other important places where you will find atmosphere and fair are:

Plaza de las Flores, behind Larios, where they set up a stage and concerts from 2 to 6 p.m.
Calle Granada.
Plaza de la Constitución.
Calle Comedias.
Plaza del Obispo.
- Another live music area.
Calle Alcazabilla.
Plaza Uncibay.
Plaza Mitjana.

A good option to have food, drinks and parties in the same place and outdoors is the Plaza de la Constitución.

At the same time, on Larios Street there will be performances by Verdiales gangs every day and a stage for popular Malaga folklore. Finally, the Peña Juan Breva will host the most flamenco programming in the Historic Center.

Gastronomy-Malaga-Fair

Where to eat at the Malaga Center Fair?

The usual thing during the Malaga fair is to eat on the street in one of the available booths, where you can taste classic Spanish and Malaga food: tortilla de paptas (potato omelette), pringá montaditos, chorizo, iberican ham, migas, paella, etc.

As for drinks, the classic thing is the sweet Malaga wine: Cartojal, although you can also buy bottles in nearby stores and get beer and other drinks in nearby bars and bars.

In Malaga, rebujito (sweet wine with Sprite/lemon-lime drink) is not common, but you can find it without any problem.

Where-to-eat-Malaga-Day-Fair

Night fair (Cortijo de Torres fairgrounds).

Until a few years ago, the Cortijo de Torres Fairgrounds, in the Teatinos area, only hosted events at night, but that has changed and the venue’s program of activities during the day is increasingly broader.

Location on Google Maps of the Cortijo de Torres de Málaga Fairgrounds.

The Malaga fairgrounds have two entrances with two different covers, which light up for the first time on the night of Saturday the 17th:

Entrance on Ortega y Gasset Avenue.
Another entrance along the Camino de San Rafael.

The main façade will once again be the replica of the Customs Palace. It has dimensions of 40.14 m wide, 15.46 m high and 4.6 m deep with 24,000 light points.

Night-Fair-Malaga

This area is where the classic stalls of a fair are located, the mechanical attractions (Funfair) and casetas (booths), many casetas, of clubs, associations, bars, political parties, press, individuals, etc.

Today, the Cortijo de Torres Campus is where the horses and harnesses are located, but not only that, they have tried to create an atmosphere at noon so that it is something to visit for the whole family.

One of the ways to attract more people during the day is that the casetas offer free food (usually paella) from 1 to 3 p.m.

Malaga-Fair-2024

Map and location at the Malaga Fairgrounds. Day and Night Fair.

Below you have the map with all the available services and locations of the booths at the Cortijo de Torres (Teatinos) fairgrounds.

Map-Casetas-Night-Fair-Malaga

You can find the following at the Malaga fairgrounds:

Toilets.
Amusement area.
Verdiales booth, municipal booth, children’s booths.
Numbered booths.
Youth zone.
Primary care area (Police, firefighters, civil protection, lost and found, etc.)
Transportation (Bus, taxi).
Municipal auditorium.
Equestrian exhibition area.
ATM.

My advice is that you keep this photo of the map well to have it as a reference, because the first few times moving around the area and knowing where everything is is not easy.

Transport at the Malaga Fair.

The most common and cheapest option to go to the Fair, be it the Center (Day) or the Real (day/Night), is by bus or metro, since there are services on many lines that connect with the center, both points and even shuttle buses that make this route.

The price of the bus ticket is €1.40, rising to €2 for line F or the special 8:00 pm services that connect districts with Real.

Another option is to go by taxi/Uber/Cabify/Bolt which will be faster, but also more expensive.

Bus-Stops-Malaga-Fair

Use the metro to get to the Day Fair.

After the opening of the new Atarazanas stop, next to the Central Market and 2 minutes from Larios Street, this is the best option to get to the Day Fair.

So if you have a metro stop nearby because it is the fastest and cheapest option to get to the center; Otherwise, check the bus lines or use private transportation (taxi, Uber, Cabify, Bolt).

Metro-Malaga-Fair

Where to sleep during the Malaga Fair?

Finding accommodation in Malaga for the Malaga Fair is, perhaps, the most complex task, especially if it is left until the last minute.

It is estimated that prices increase by 2-3 times the usual cost during the fair.

The ideal is to look for accommodation between the two areas: Teatinos and Centro, for example the areas of Carretera de Cádiz, Huelin or Cruz de Humilladero would be very good options, plus they offer you proximity to the beach.

Booking.com

Sígueme

Alejo Tomás

After traveling around the world alone, visiting the 21 Wonders of the World and living and working in 4 countries, in 2018 I decided to create something beautiful about Malaga, my city.