South of Granada visits the region’s biggest ‘feria’, Corpus Granada, held to celebrate Corpus Christi… with a reluctant designated driver, and after the horses have left…

“WHERE ARE the horses and carriages!”, said our designated driver, looking vaguely horrified. “It is like saying we’re attending a Drum and Bass party, but they’re playing banging techno.” The reporter raised her eyebrows. For early June, it was extremely hot in the provincial capital (registering 30C at 9pm). The benefits of visiting the “night time fiesta” of Corpus Granada include not baking at a packed event attended by thousands of revellers – many clustering around the cold beers!

Arriving at Corpus Granada after 8pm means that the iconic horses and carriages have gone home. This is to avoid – probably – colliding with enthusiastic party-goers! That’s a shame. But the music and frivolity are well under way.

“Oh look – there are some ‘caballos’,” pointed out the reporter, as a few horse’s bottoms (guesstimated as six) disappeared into the sunset. While you could call this scene “romantic”, it was a matter of opinion!

Affected by a case of “Manstruating”, the driver grumped on: “This is not culture! It is just people getting p*ssed!” To prove his point, upon entering the ‘recinta ferial ‘ (fairgound area), we saw an ‘elegant lady’ doubled over in her flamenco dress, vomiting.

Onwards and upwards! Look at the beautiful lights everywhere! The attention to detail. “It is very commercial,” grumped dessy driver, rolling his eyes towards the pretty sunset, that was a photographer’s golden hour dream.

Whatever naysayers might think, Corpus Granada is a colourful spectacle worth beholding. At least once!

A historic and huge event

You can argue that the annual ‘feria’ IS definitely culture, ‘Granadina’ style! And historic culture to boot. The Corpus Granada ‘feria’ dates back more than 500 years – to the era following the Christian conquest of the city, in 1492. Promoted by the Catholic Monarchs, the ‘feria’ became the city’s main annual celebration, combining religious tradition with popular festivities. These do include drinking…. yes, of course, it is Spain in summertime!

Over the centuries, Corpus Granada has evolved into a unique event, mixing religious processions with fairground rides, flamenco concerts, party tents featuring a range of music (some are public: some private), and (rather expensive) food and drinks.

One of the renowed traditions is ‘La Tarasca‘ parade through Granada city centre on 3 June, featuring big-headed carnival figures. There is also the ‘Carocas ‘exhibition in Plaza Bib-Rambla and the Corpus Christi Procession on 4 June. And, of course, the Almanjáyar fairground, that we visited. This features more than 70 ‘casetas’ (party tents), as well as numerous food stalls and fairground rides.

This year’s Corpus Granada started on 30 May and ends on Saturday 6 June. There is time to see it yet!

So, what will I actually see at Corpus Granada?

For starters, at Corpus Granada, you will see a lot of people! Official attendance figures for 2026 have not yet been released, but Corpus traditionally attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, making it Granada’s largest annual festival and one of Andalucía’s best-known ‘ferias’.

“It’s just commercial,” humped dessy driver, comparing it to EtnoSur in Alcala la Real. However, if you have an eye for pretty lights, festive décor, horses and carts, flamenco finery, and people vibing to a range of music, you will have a different experience!

The party tents all have unique themes and come to life after dark. Really, many were so rammed that it was difficult to obtain a drink. Bear that in mind – take some bottled water or a beer! The invention of a “mini-fridge backpack” for such events is eagerly awaited.

Toilet humour at Corpus Granada

Drinking beer leads to loo breaks. One notable point (noted by us, at least!) is that Corpus Granada is not overly-provisioned with toilets, bearing in mind the scale of the site and the visitor count. That said, the vast and well-maintained portaloo block is presided over by a (possibly long-suffering) security guard, and cleaned when required. While we were there, the block was closed for maintenance. For ages. A huge queue formed.

“Do you want to have trouble with the Guardia Civil,” said a youth cryptically, in English, when we enquired about the nature of the closure. “Err, no… I just need to use the bathroom!” There was no intention to ram down the door to get it! Just don’t drink too many beers! And, ‘por favor‘, no throwing up on the flamenco dress, if you can possibly help it!

Enjoy!