Córdoba Fair

The origin of the fair goes back to 1284, when King Sancho IV granted the council of Córdoba the privilege of holding two livestock fairs a year, one beginning at Cincuesma, Pentecost Sunday, and the other at the start of Lent, each lasting fifteen days. In 1422 the Cincuesma fair was regularly fixed in the first days of May, a privilege confirmed by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 and ratified by Philip II in 1556.

In 1665 the fair took its current name, after two farmers found the image of a small Virgin in a well next to the Puerta de Sevilla. In 1673 a hermitage dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Salud was built on that very spot, and the day of pilgrimage around it grew into a small market with stalls and awnings.

The fair changed location several times: it moved next to the Puerta de Gallegos between 1801 and 1803, and in 1820 it settled in the Campo de la Victoria, where it remained for almost two centuries. From 1905 its date was fixed around 25 May, and in 1994 it moved to its current site at El Arenal.

It is rebuilt every year at the entrance to the site and reproduces the arches and minaret tower of the Mosque, one of the most photographed details of the whole fair.

At the opening, nearly 300,000 bulbs are switched on at once, lighting the streets of casetas throughout fair week.

Riders and traditional carriages parade around the site, usually between 13:00 and 20:00, in one of the most characteristic moments of the fair.

The El Arenal site covers more than thirty hectares next to the Guadalquivir. Most of the casetas are public, so you can go in without an invitation.

It is traditionally held in the last week of May, around 25 May, a date fixed since 1905 because of its link with the feast of Nuestra Señora de la Salud.

In 2026 it was held from 23 to 30 May, with the official switching-on of the lights on 22 May at 22:00. The dates of the 2027 edition had not been published at the time of writing; it is worth checking cordoba.es or turismodecordoba.org, where they are usually confirmed a few months in advance.

Access to the site and to most of the casetas is free and open. Comfortable footwear is advisable given the size of the site, with more than thirty hectares to cover.

To get there, the City Council lays on a special Aucorsa bus service and trains stopping at the site itself, a recommended alternative to the private car on the busiest days.

The parade of horses and carriages, between 13:00 and 20:00, is one of the most photographed moments: it is best to come early in the afternoon to see it at leisure.

The Córdoba Fair closes the city's cycle of spring festivals, which begins with Holy Week and continues weeks later with the May Crosses and the Patios Festival.