Yesterday (Tuesday) was the first official day of Sevilla’s feria … when practically the entire city appears on the fairgrounds – women and children in colorful flamenco-style outfits, men in suits, riders in traditional outfits, horses in fancy English-style or traditional Andalusian harness. The day is a combination of trying “to see and be seen” and visiting with friends and family. And, as you might imagine, chatting and eating and drinking … all day long and well into the night.

It’s amazing to see how many horses with riders and horses with carriages and people walking can fit into the streets of the feria with no mishaps. I had the good fortune to take a “turn” around the feria in a carriage and the view from the middle of the traffic is even more impressive than watching it from the dusty sidewalks. This must be somewhat like the park driving of days gone by.

Without further ado, then, some images from the day. We go back for another full day today (and today is the city’s official holiday, so there should be even more people at the feria, if that’s possible), so there will be more photos still to come.

a family (with all the women in pink polka dots), arriving at the feria; this was early in the day, before the crowds packed the streets and sidewalks

a close-up of traditional Andalusian harness; I had a brief lesson from Raimundo in how the harness styles from Sevilla and Jerez are slightly different and how all the various colors should coordinate with certain parts on the carriage

the coachman whose harness you just saw; he is wearing traditional livery based on an 18th-century style

a close-up of an antique Spanish-built carriage several days before the feria; the carriage is owned by one of Raimundo's relatives and has been beautifully restored

... and the same carriage with passengers, before we set off for a turn around the feria

a line of carriages headed down the street; this was before things got really crowded

several little girls in blue and white

it's great fun to just find a spot in the shade and watch the spectacle pass by; the colors are fantastic

when they want to take a food or drink break, the riders line their horses up in rows, side by side, facing the sidewalk