3 things to do in Seville
Without a doubt Seville is one of the best places to be at Christmas as the city is just stunning and the atmosphere so festive you won’t want to leave. This architectural beauty is adorned with lights, gets dressed up in all its finery for the upcoming season and as the icing on the Christmas cake there are an abundance of exciting and traditional events taking place that will truly get you into the festive spirit and nicely conclude your new year. So, enjoy our three to things to do this autumn leading up to Christmas in Seville, to get you into the spirit of things!
Antique Book Fair Seville
Taking place from mid November to the beginning of December in the heart of the city, at Plaza Nueva to be more precise, is this antique book fair comprising a gathering of local book merchants selling old and rare books, in addition to some more recent and new ones. There are some interesting titles from the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), including several published titles about the history, art, and architecture of Seville. In addition, comics, old newspapers, as well as a few antique replica posters and photos are also available making this a perfect place to have a good browse and a relaxing wander amongst the merchandise on offer, in addition to take in the setting which comprises the Square where Seville City Hall is located which is beautifully lit up and adorned with Christmas lights during the festive season, amongst other stunning buildings. This fair has been celebrated on an annual basis for other thirty years now, is widely accepted and very popular amongst the locals and tourists alike for hunting out little treasures that just can’t be found in mainstream book stores. Book worms and reading fanatics in Seville this autumn will thus be able to enjoy more than two whole weeks of this fabulous event.
Nativity Fair Seville
Taking place from the 13th of November all the way through to the 23rd of December is the Feria de Belen (Nativity Fair) in the Seville Centro Historico (Historic Centre) on Avenida de la Constitución and Calle Fray Ceferino González, located right in the heart of the city centre. This traditional festival which is fast becoming a national reference features an annual market putting on display and selling the “Belèn” or Nativity Scenes. This is the perfect time and ideal opportunity for the locals to purchase the nativity figures and scenery either for a new or existing Belén. Spain is traditionally a very catholic country and normally displays a Belén instead of our usual Christmas tree so as you can imagine it is a very popular event which attracts visitors from all over the region. Some figures range from a few to hundreds of euros so as you can see for Sevillians this is a serious business. Further goods on offer include Christmas ornaments, cards, and decorations, amongst other Christmas goodies and it is quite pleasant to just wonder around and admire the beautiful work of artists, and the goods on offer by local merchants and non-profit organisations dedicated to the world of Beléns. In this year’s event, there will be 31 stalls selling handmade goods of superior quality so if you would like to take back something beautiful and traditional with you this year then this is the place for you, and just like previous editions, this fair promises to be an unmissable event.
Seville Convent Sweets at Christmas
Andalusia is renowned for having some of the best and tastiest food in Spain, and from our experience this is no lie. Seville is by no means an exception and with the “ Exposicion de dulces de conventos de clausura” (Sweets and baked goods fair) this city certainly lives up to its culinary name. This fabulous annual feria comprises an exhibition of sweets, chocolates, and baked goods from the local convents and is the perfect event for all you chocolate and all-things-sweet lovers out there. Handmade confectionary of all kinds, from 17 convents to be more precise, will be on sale in the scrumptious feria which usually takes place in the Alcazar in Seville. This year’s dates have yet to be confirmed but the sweets and baked goods fair normally falls around the beginning of December and runs over two yummy days. In addition if you just can’t get enough, you can make your way to Plaza del Cabildo just off Avenida de la Constitución where there’s a small stall that sells a good variety, or the local convents sell them themselves all year round (7 of which are in Seville). So go on, treat yourself, indulge your sweet tooth and be assured that we’ll keep you posted of the dates so that you can be the first to get your mitts on some delicious dulces and bag all the best cakes before anybody else does!
Anna – Marketing Team
