FESTIVALS

When it comes to festivals and fiestas, Estepona is no different to any other Spanish town and has it's fair share of festivities.

The 15th May is the Fiesta of San Isidro Labrador when the townsfolk take to the streets with processions

During Easter (Semana Santa), the street processions are both beautiful and impressive.

One of the biggest fiestas is the annual ferial that takes place in July. The event lasts a whole week and consists of a day fair and a night fair. Both fairs give way to the rhythm of 'Sevillianas', rumbas and popular Spanish music. The whole of the town bursts into colour and passion. At midday the bars fill to capacity when all manner of Andalucian cuisine can be sampled including the well known paella which is traditionally eaten in the streets. The day fair continues until seven in the evening when everyone rests in preparation for the night fair. The town is illuminated at night with thousands of light bulbs and the meeting points change from the bars to the outdoor pavillions and the fairground rides. A children's paradise emerges from the darkness with rides of every description. The smell of candyfloss mingles with that of cooked octopus and music emits from every street. Estepona's annual fair is repeated on the grand scale every year and never fails to attract thousands of visitors and satisfies each and every one of them.

The religious masses begin on the 13th July and continue each evening until the 16th with offerings of flowers and presentations of commemorative medals. After the blessing at sea, the Virgin is carried through the streets once ore to her resting place in the chapel where the 'Queen of the Seas' watches over the fishing community. The fiesta comes to completion with a public holiday on the Monday

The evening of the 16th July is a very special time for the residents of Estepona for this is the night when the patron saint Virgen del Carmen is celebrated. This is one of the most deeply rooted traditions of this fishing village and the celebrations begin with the image of the Virgin being carried through the town, towards the sea. All along the coast, the tiny fishing boats, all illuminated, await her arrival. Boats sounding their horns and decorated with flowers and lanterns receive the blessing of the Virgin. Prayers are said for those lost at sea and for the protection of those that continue to make a living from the ocean.