Feria de los Países 2025 in Fuengirola – YES!
The Feria Internacional de los Países 2025 (FIP 2025; Fair of the Countries) is about to start in Fuengirola! This year, in its 29th edition, the fair will happen from April 30 to May 4, in the Recinto Ferial de Fuengirola (Fuengirola fairgrounds) and will have more than 30 participating countries. I bet it will be as great as always!
Fuengirola has a page dedicated to the Feria de los Países, in English, with all the program and maps. A lot of that page is being shown in this post, in which I try to mix it with my own impressions of this yearly fair – and a few more maps, directions, previous year’s pictures, etc.
If this is your first time in Fuengirola, check this post to get to know the town. You may also be glad to know that, as with every fair, the entrance to the Feria de los Países is free of charge, as are the many presentations and shows happening during the fair. You pay for food and to ride on the attractions at the funfair.
Why this is my favorite fair
This is my favorite fair by far, and I’ve been to many fairs in my three years in the Costa del Sol – they are amazing. The thing is that while all fairs represent the local culture, this fair represents beautifully the culture of 30+ countries and does it amazingly well. There are two rows of houses on the fairgrounds, and each one of the houses is occupied, during the Feria de los Países, by a different country. Each house/country has their own program, made by people from the nationality being represented, which makes it very authentic and special. You’ll find food, music, dance, typical clothes and crafts, sometimes even workshops, made by natives of each of those countries. So cool.
The thing is that more than 40% of the residents of Fuengirola are foreigners, and they come from many parts of the world. Some of these foreigners have occupations related to their country of nationality – chefs, musicians, dancers, artisans, importers – and they gather by nationality during this feria, to make memorable events related to their nation. It is an overdose of interesting events, fun and culture, all at the same time and place, side by side. My only complaint is that it ends so fast.
The events of the Feria de los Países
The Feria de los países has a general program, that is simple enough that we can describe here, and a specific program for each of the houses. This second one you can find on this link. You’ll find there the full program of each of the days and can even choose to see the program by country. Frankly, you’ll probably have a great time any time you are in the FIP 2025, and it is impossible to see everything; so choose a few extra special and move around the houses as much as you can, because there’s always something interesting going on.
In 2025, the Feria de los Países will start on Wednesday, April 30, with the children’s day – a day when all funfair attractions have discounted prices. The following day, Thursday, May 1, is the Parade Day – the parade will depart at 11 am from the Plaza de España and move towards the fairgrounds, crossing part of Fuengirola, following the route shown on the image. People of all participating nationalities will be part of the parade – it is an authentic Parade of the Countries!!!
On top of that, for all days of the fair, from April 30 to May 4, the general program is the same:
12:00 (noon) – FIM (Trade Fair) Opening
01 pm – Opening of stands
04 am – Closing of stands
The FIM (Feria Internacional de Muestras) is pretty much a market, with several stalls – some local, some foreign – all under a large tent. Here are a few images of last year’s FIM, for reference:
Map of the fair
The Feria de los Países is divided into 3 main parts: the funfair, the FIM, and the houses themselves, the main attraction, each one representing a different country.
The map on the right shows the location of the house of each country. You can click on the image to expand. 😉
The FIM (market stalls) will be right between the houses and the funfair, under a tent, as shown on the map; the funfair will be located right by the entrance of the fairgrounds, where the map says “Atracciones Feria”. A few images of the previous year’s funfair, which was located in the same area:
Location and how to get there
Tip 1: don’t go there by car, because you won’t find a place to park anywhere. Avoid going there by Uber, taxi, Bolt or bus because you’ll be in a traffic jam for a long time. Go either on foot (if you are in Fuengirola) or by train. The train will be crowded, for sure, and the sidewalks from the train station to the fairgrounds will be too, but what can we do? That’s what happens when an event is great – everybody goes. 🤷♀️
Tip 2: Children’s day and the weekend are the most crowded days. Evenings see a lot more people too, because that’s when the fairground lights turn on – they are beautiful and add a lot to the atmosphere of the fairgrounds; plus, it is after work hours, so it is a time when many locals are available to go see the fair.
Where to stay near the Feria de los Países Fuengirola
You did notice that fair goes on until 4 am, right? It is true that music stops a bit earlier – some nights at 2 am, others at 3:30 am – but the houses are still open, serving drinks and with people partying… so even though I wholeheartedly recommend visiting the Feria de los Países, I would not recommend trying to sleep next to it. Leave some two blocks of distance – unless you intend to be one of the people partying until 4, in which case, the closest the better. In both cases, I got you covered!
Here is a map with the available places to stay around Fuengirola fairgrounds (marked in blue), The map is updated in real-time and full of functionalities: you can choose how many people are going, input your dates and see which options are hotels and which are rentals. Enjoy and book your place! 😉
Conclusion
Go, really. Walk as much as you can, see as much as you can. If you live in the Costa del Sol, enjoy the opportunity of eating all those foods you miss from home as well as the opportunity of eating foods you didn’t know existed (Australia was offering Kangaroo barbecue last year)!!! See as many shows as possible, from the Spice Girls cover to Romanian Folk; taste Dutch cheese and learn how to bead like the Senegalese; sing with the Ukranians and try the açaí in the Brazilian tent (say hi when you spot me there!) 🙂
You get the idea. Prepare to live special and unique days in the Feria de los Países 2025!
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