The Feria de San Bernabé is one of the most relevant festivities, with the greatest “packaging”, and tradition of Marbella which is celebrated every year in June. San Bernabé is one of the most anticipated and most colourful events on Costa del Sol. This festival together with Carmen in July is one of the most awaited and deeply rooted festivities felt by citizens in Marbella. The fair in Marbella is one of the festivals with the greatest Andalusian flavour, where flamenco dresses are a very important part of the celebration. Both locals and foreigners mingle to enjoy dancing, music, good wine and delicious cuisine, for a whole week. Living first-hand the parties of San Bernabé in Marbella is the ideal occasion to enjoy the face “more traditional” of the town, the most ideal to get an idea of the Marbella of yesteryear, before the tourist boom.

 

 

The 2023 Marbella Fair

This 2023, the Marbella Fair will take place between June 6 and 12, but it is June 5, when the traditional Pilgrimage of San Bernabé is celebrated, a party that usually begins early in the morning, with the launching of rockets announcing the departure from his Brotherhood House of the patron, after this they usually offer a free tasting of churros with chocolate to all attendees.

The procession has the following itinerary: Romero de San Bernabé Brotherhood House, Trapiche Avenue, Mayorazgo Avenue, José Luis Morales Street, Pinsapo Street, Calvario Street, Cánovas del Castillo Avenue, Camino del Pinar, Buchinger Street, ending in Pinar de Nagüeles. After this the mass of pilgrims is celebrated from the Ermita del San Bernabé. And it is already at noon when the playful / festive activities begin in Pinar de Nagüeles, here you can enjoy dances, a popular paella offered by the City Council and to finish it is also celebrated the dance contest of the Flemish schools.

 

2023 Marbella Fair’s program

 

The Fair and Fiestas of San Bernabé 2023, in Marbella, take place from June 6 and 12.

Download the full program

 

Queens and Ladies of The San Bernabé Fair

In Marbella, during those days, different activities are developed, at the Fair during the day and night. A few weeks before the Fair opens, the traditional contest to choose the Queens and the Ladies of the San Bernabé Festival takes place.

In this edition the winner is Noelia Bermúdez Fernández, who will be the Junior Queen and will be accompanied by Rocío Ruiz Tomé, Carla Rodríguez Coronil, Amy Pérez Martin y María Pilar Conde Gómez as ladies.

How to get there

During daytime, the Fair takes place in Parque de la Alameda and on Avenida del Mar.

Google Maps

 

At night, the Fair will no longer take in land of the third phase of La Cañada, now it has been decided to move it to a nearby plot, south of the highway, in the Arroyo Segundo area. The road that gives access to the Cañada tunnel will also be used, from the roundabout that exists to the south of the Arroyo Primero sports center.

Google Maps

 

 

1. Free bus

Transport services for the movement of citizens and visitors, from different points of our city to the fairground at night(the Canadian phase III).

Opening hours: from 5 to 11 June, will be 18.00-03.00 hours except in the following cases:

• Wednesday, June 6, 17.00-03.00 hours special service.
• Special night service for Friday 7th, Saturday 8 and Sunday, June 9.

These days will have a bus service that will expand the completion of your journey up to 6.00 hours.

1. Shell Petrol Station (Bus Station). Google Maps
2. Avda. Cánovas del Castillo (El Cenit housing development). Google Maps
3. Avda. Ricardo Soriano (El Pirulí). Google Maps
4. Avda. Ricardo Soriano (Zona 7 Puertas- Unicaja). Google Maps
5. Avda. Severo Ochoa (Marbell Center building). Google Maps
6. Travesía Huerta de los Cristales (Eroski). Google Maps
7. C/ Vázquez Clavel (‘El Punto’). Google Maps
8. C/ Serenata (Mercadona). Google Maps
9. The fair venue. Google Maps

From 6:00 p.m. to 03:00 a.m., the City Council of Marbella also puts into operation a train that departs from Parque Comercial La Cañada and from Av.José Manuel Vallés (next to the Valle Azul building.)

 

Parking and mini-train

You can opt to leave your car at the Albarizas, where the Town Hall has provided a mini-train service as far as El Real that is also free and that has a pick-up point in the vicinity where avenida José Manuel Vallés ends. From La Cañada to the feria site, access is by foot or by the public transport means provided only.

Opening hours:

• From 6:00 to 3:00
• From 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm (Thursday, June 6)

Google Maps

 

History

The San Bernabé fiestas pay homage year after year to the Patron Saint of Marbella. Leisure, fun, the coming together of locals and a good atmosphere take over the city on these fiesta days. San Bernabé Day is also Carmen Day, one of the more important times of the year for Marbella.

These fiestas commemorate the Reconquest of Marbella by the Catholic Monarchs in 1485. During this week of the Fair, locals, as well as tourists and visitors, have the chance to enjoy traditional and colourful Andalusian fiestas.

 

The Fair

For one week, booths and cachorros take over Marbella and the old quarter and fair site display colourful flags. People wear traditional dress and both tourists and locals enjoy the picturesque charm of traditional Andalusian fiestas. The programming is varied and fun, and includes shows, processions, processions carrying the Virgin, events and performances of all kinds.

The large amount of people who come to this event creates a great atmosphere, with the streets full of life and colour and everyone having fun, but on the other hand, a couple of little things should be taken into account in order to enjoy the fair as much as possible: June is usually pretty hot so it is best to have a hat and bottle of water to hand. As always, when there are many people, there can be pickpockets. These are isolated and infrequent cases, but not carrying much money and paying attention are two simple precautions that can be very useful.

 

Sampling the tapas booths

 

All that dancing will make you hungry and thirsty and, if the rest of the year we tend to eat traditional Andalusian and Mediterranean cuisine, this is even more pronounced during the San Bernabé Fair. Horse riders and people proudly wearing Gitana dress are now as popular as Spanish omelette, fried fish and churros with hot chocolate when the fair is over.

 

 

Bear in mind, too, that people do not have a meal at the Feria, but rather snack and for this the Iberian pork products are the best choice. But everyone knows that there are two culinary stars: ham and cheese. We eat with our hands and you should try the Costa del Sol’s seafood delicacies.

Dinner is done well at the Fair. Everyone enjoys El Real, the booths and meeting up with friends, and the customary small sandwiches are savoured, especially by the little ones. The adults, for their part, can try a wide range of small sandwiches accompanied by fried peppers.

 

Eating is a serious business at the Fair that stretches far into the night. When the lights go off and the day begins, people say goodbye over churros with hot chocolate or delicious fritters. They never go hungry.

 

Drinks

All this is washed down with a refreshing drink, since this time of year is usually pretty hot in Marbella. The most traditional way to cool down is with a glass of beer or manzanilla or fino sherry. You can also try a traditional drink: rebujito, which is made with fino sherry and Seven Up. Whatever method you choose, remember to drink in moderation so you can enjoy the Fair with all your senses sharpened.

 

CURIOSITIES AND TIPS TO ENJOY THE SAN BERNABÉ FAIR 

Those who have visited the Fair of San Bernabé are aware that all Marbella´s citizens are the best ambassadors of this festivity. But for those who still do not know what Cartojal is, what verdiales are and how they sound or have not yet taken a waffle with chocolate to regain strength, pay attention, because now we are going to put some guidelines to take into account if you want to enjoy San Bernabé to the fullest:

 

To check the celebrations program

We recommend you to check at our section for the 2019 Fair Program to know first-hand what activities have been prepared for this year, since this way you can know beforehand what you want to see and where it is.

 

The perfect ‘Outfit’ for the fair

It is true that each type of event requires its particular ‘protocol’, but at the Fair of San Bernabé we can say that there are no limits. Each one can go as he/she likes and as comfortable as he/she  feels, therefore, the most normal thing is to see the light clothing assistants (with comfortable and soft clothes), so as not to pass more heat than strictly necessary.

 

 

The power of Hydration!

Keep in mind that at this time of the year is really hot, so the most important thing to avoid a heat stroke is to hydrate well and drink fluids. And since we are in Feria and we won’t always be drinking water, in this fair you can also take a delicious red wine with lemon, a very cold beer (it must be a “Victoria, ‘malagueña and exquisite”), soft drinks and especially a very special drink that is the queen of all the fairs, Cartaojal.  

 

Cartojal

The Cartojal is the most popular drink in the fair, it is a sweet wine that is taken very cool and always ends up in the suitcase of the tourists who try it. As a tip, we will tell you that it is necessary to take with moderation, although the heat makes you want to drink once and again. The problem comes when alcohol takes over you.

 

Don’t forget Marbella!

There is a lot more to see in Marbella aside from the San Bernabé Fair. Bear in mind that on these days the city is empty as everyone goes to the Fair, so it can be the perfect time to enjoy Marbella’s monuments or get lost in the city’s streets.

 

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We hope that this post has opened the desire to come to enjoy Marbella of your big week and that, if you decide to come, enjoy the most of this holiday and do not hesitate to take a glass of Cartaojal to our health

 

WHERE TO STAY

If you decide to come to Marbella, make sure you stay at Fuerte Hoteles. El Fuerte Marbella a historic establishment on the Costa del Sol, now transformed to 5 stars, is the Marbella hotel that best combines casual luxury, an exclusive and welcoming atmosphere and the sheer comfort offered by its location on the city centre’s beachfront, which offers stunning sea views right across Marbella’s seafront promenade.