Approximate date: the organiser has not confirmed it yet.
Feria de Córdoba 2027 The Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud, at El Arenal
All the information
About the event
Córdoba's fair, at the El Arenal fairground. Casetas open to everyone, which is what sets it apart from other Andalusian fairs.
Key points
- Usually held in the last week of May
- Public casetas: anyone can go in, no invitation needed
- El Arenal fairground, beside the river
- Dates confirmed a few months ahead
When the Feria de Córdoba 2027 is
The Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud closes Córdoba's May and is held in the last week of the month, from Saturday to Saturday, after the Cruces and the Festival de los Patios. In 2026 it ran from 23 to 30 May. On that pattern, the 2027 fair would run from Saturday 22 to Saturday 29 May, with the switching-on of the lights on the night of Friday 21. It is a forecast, not an official date: the City Council confirms it along with the programme a few months ahead, and it may move by a few days. Anyone planning the trip can book for that late-May window and fine-tune when the programme comes out.
Casetas open to everyone
Here lies the difference from other Andalusian fairs: in Córdoba the casetas, the marquees, are public. There are no members, no invitations and no doors that close, so a visitor from elsewhere can walk into any of them, sit down, order and stay to dance like anyone else. That completely changes the experience compared with fairs where the atmosphere happens behind closed doors. The casetas are run by the city's peñas, neighbourhood associations and groups, and each has its own crowd, its own music and its own kitchen.
El Arenal, beside the Guadalquivir
The fairground is at El Arenal, an open site on the banks of the Guadalquivir to which the fair moved in 1994 when the number of casetas outgrew its previous location. It lies outside the historic centre, although it is well connected by city bus and taxi; walking from the centre is long but feasible. The fair has two very different faces: by day, horses, flamenco dresses and a family atmosphere; by night, packed casetas and music until the early hours, plus the funfair for anyone going with children.
A tradition seven centuries old
Its origins go back to 1284, when Sancho IV granted Córdoba the privilege of holding two livestock fairs a year. That market ended up settling in May and becoming linked to devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Salud, until it became one of the oldest fairs in Andalusia. Of the livestock fair, the date and the name remain; the rest has been changing for centuries. It is also the finale of the city's big month, and many people in Córdoba experience it as the natural close of May.
The lights, the gateway and the fireworks
The fair begins the evening before, with the switching-on of the lights. In 2026 they were lit on the Friday at 10 pm, with a short sevillanas show, and the fireworks were set off at midnight. That year's entrance gateway, the portada, measured 73 metres wide and 46 high, and the fairground had just over two million LED light points, 302 illuminated arches and more than 9,000 paper lanterns. It is worth arriving in good time, because the fairground fills up early that night.
Casetas, opening hours and music
In 2026 there were 84 casetas, all with free entry, spread along the streets of the fairground. They opened from 1 pm to 5 am. From 1 pm to 5 pm the City Council set a period of reduced volume and traditional music only, with no reggaeton; contemporary music comes later. The horse parade had its own hours, from 12 noon to 8 pm, with a veterinary service on site. For the midday heat the fair introduced awnings and, between canvas, trees and the inside of the casetas, the City Council calculated shade over 81% of the fairground.
Getting to El Arenal
Aucorsa, the municipal bus company, runs a special service to the fair each year, with adapted vehicles; its routes and timetables are published with the programme. A taxi is the other comfortable option for getting back in the early hours. In 2026 the fairground had 34 parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility.
A more accessible fair
All the casetas have a ramp, accessible toilets and a lowered section of bar. In 2026 the signage included Navilens codes, which a mobile phone reads aloud in 39 languages, and there was a sign language interpreter at the Red Cross and Civil Protection posts. The Calle del Infierno, the funfair area, operated with reduced noise on the Monday and Tuesday from 4 pm to 9 pm, hours intended for people with autism spectrum disorder.
Dates from 2027 to 2030
The Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud closes Córdoba's festive May: it is held in the last week of May, from Saturday to Saturday, at the El Arenal fairground. That pattern holds in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030. The official dates of each edition and the programme of casetas are announced by the City Council in spring.
