The Spanish love a party, and I have enjoyed many Ferias and Fiestas in the cities, when all the locals seemed to go loco for the local saint or the local festival. But it is in the villages that you see the true spirit of Feria.
Most villages have two main festivals, in late Spring, and in early Autumn. And in Pruna the August Feria is always Flamenco based.
Starting on the Wednesday night, the 21 August, in the large open air auditorium, Caseta Municipal, the acclaimed singer La Tana and Jose El Pechugita will be singing, the dancers will be Macarena Lopez and her group.
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A specially invited guest is Maria Terremoto, a legend in her own lifetime. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdr9DKmxlzA
the calibre of these artists is such that in Seville or Cadiz you would pay forty euros or more to see them, but here in Pruna, during the Flamenco festival it is free entry. The performers love appearing in local small venues in villages, 'keeping it true.
And night after night the flamenco vibe continues, dancing, guitar, singing, and partying as if there is no tomorrow. The bars are heaving with people, the streets alive with music, the children dressed to the nines and enjoying the fun fair and dancing. Daytime it is geared towards the kids, swim competitions, go carts, football, they get the chance to run around in front of benevolent adults.
Thursday evening all funfair rides are just 2 euros to allow all the children in the village to experience that carousel experience that we all remember from our childhoods.
However it is the nights that we adults get the chance to see the true spirit of the flamenco feria, spontaneous dancing, clapping, bursts of song, old couples dancing together, the youngsters combining salsa with flamenco.
You could join in! Pruna is very centrally based for most of southern Andalusia, ninety minutes from by car Malaga, ninety minutes from Seville, ninety minutes from Cadiz (you get my drift? It is an ideal stopping point along a journey!!) arrive with the in the afternoon and enjoy the rather lovely open air swimming pool, stroll along the high street to the fun fair and stalls, meander through the streets to see the bars with their outside tables ready for the late evening onslaught but now leisurely selling cold drinks and ice creams.
With every hour the party vibe increases, the streets fill with youngsters dressed to impress, often in costume, their parents, and grandparents, and probably their great grandparents watch them proudly and then the party begins.
It is not surprising that Pruna is very Flamenco focussed, seeing as how a couple of internationally famous flamenco stars were born and raised here. Rubio de Pruna is a neighbour of mine, you can watch him on YouTube here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_RSou5HG4I I remember he said he was playing the following Saturday and I just said, 'oh, we must come and see you, where are you playing?' And he replied 'Madrid tomorrow, London next week'.