La Feria del Ganado is the Livestock Festival, held in Albunol, about 25 minutes from Ranchito, at the end of October every year. It attracts thousands of people to see the Horsemanship of the Gitanos on display in the Rambla, which is a vast dried river bed that runs through the village.
Many people dress in traditional costume, and there are lots of stalls and events in the village, and in the Rambla itself.
There are two sides to the Feria - the livestock festival, a huge display of both skill at horsemanship, and also in caring for and breeding top quality animals, and then there is the religious procession of the religious icons through the village to the church, followed by a huge party, where vast quantities of Paella and locally produced wine are consumed - setting everyone up well for the evening revelries to come...
Of course, for the duration of the Feria (usually 3 days), every night is party night, with live open-air music and vino and tapas in free flow.
If you're interested in booking Ranchito to take in the Feria del Ganado, please contact us to check the dates, as they vary a little each year.
The procession of the Religious Icons attracts a crowd of hundreds, if not thousands...
You don't often see an Icon traffic Jam these days....
Well, I'm sure there'll be some movement in the traffic soon...
What could be causing the delay?....
Ah, there's a bit of a queue to get into the Church....
As you can see, the procession is well attended....you might just make out the Icon right at the end of the street...
Spanish exuberance finds a way to express itself, even at a religious festival....
