Feria De Santiago & Santa Ana - 20th - 26th July 2023

The Feria de Santiago & Santa Ana, (Torre del Mar Feria), is celebrated in honour of Santiago Apóstol (St. James, son of Zebedee | Patron Saint of Spain: one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament.) and Santa Ana (According to apocryphal Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus).

Usually starting round 22nd of July, it stretches for four or five days with various celebrations held all over town, Including the Virgen del Carmen (one of the most important festivities during the Torre del Mar fair.) The procession of the effigy of the  Virgen del Carmen by land and sea, which takes place on the 26th of July, has been declared by tourists a unique festival  in the Province, people from every corner of Spain come to see her. She is sung to, during her journey from San Andrés Church right down the Paseo de Larios in Torre del Mar to the Promenade where she is embarked on a vessel  and is sailed out to sea, accompanied by a flotilla of small craft, culminating in fine display of fireworks.

Andalucia is well known for its ferias & fiestas, every town, city and village has one, and there is no better way to get to know the Andalucian traditions and culture than by visiting the different villages and cities during their ferias. (In Málaga, the fair covers 500 years of history, and originated from the Reconquista; the Siege of Málaga, and Reconquest of Spain in which the Catholic Monarchs of Spain took back the City of Málaga from the Emirate of Granada.)

Torre del Mar Feria like many others divided their festivities in two, the day fair and the night fair, held in two different places, an atmospheric display of gastronomy and Andalusian folklore lasting literally all day and night.

Day fair

From 1pm the streets are flooded with people, temporary bars are set up providing plenty of food and drink, live music (some pop but mostly flamenco, we are in Southern Spain after all!) Dance performances from local dance groups and activities. You can enjoy the Day Fair directly from the crowded ‘Caseta’ (tent) that’s put up specifically or you can enjoy the music and events from one of nearby bars or restaurants - booking is advisable as the whole town will be packed. Also if you're not staying in Torre del Mar opt for the bus or even a taxi, this will save you a lot of time looking for a parking space as they are extremely difficult to come across at the best of times.

The ‘Youth Caseta’ starts at 3.30pm again, with music but a bit more upbeat aiming to please the teenagers and young adults, the local DJ’s focusing on Techno/Dance/Reggaeton genre - But you’ll find plenty of different ages in either of the two casetas, you can even alternate they are not far from one another, plus, Torre del Mar's promenade really is stunning! Day fair ends at 8pm giving you 2 hours to prepare for the opening of the night fair.

Night Fair

Parades, contests and shows are only some of the activities available! Starting off with giving the younger ones a chance with ‘Día del Niño’ (Kids Day) all fairground attractions are half price, this is probably the quietest day as the feria doesn’t actually commence until the day after.

Night fair, Torre del Mar

La Carpa

(A local theatre and entertainment group that is present in most of the ferias in The Axarquía) They will Guide you from the ‘Paseo Larios’ to ‘Recinto Ferial’ where the night time feria is held with a parade. This is also great for kids as they interact, sing and dance with them along the way.

At around 10pm they cut the ribbon and feria commences, starting off with the candidates and the voting for the new ‘Queen and King of Feria de Torre del Mar’ After that there’s plenty of entertainment throughout the night, concerts, fairground attractions, plenty of market and food stalls, fireworks.. July is a busy month for Torre del Mar, there’s something for just about everyone! Even the aeronautical lovers! find out about the Torre del Mar Airshow!

The team at La Carpa theatre group based in Torre del Mar and Nerja