ARCHIVED - 1st to 9th September, Calasparra, Feria and Fiestas

Calasparra, bullruns take place for 6 days through the centre of the town

Programme for the Feria and Fiestas of Calasparra 2012

Includes Folk Dancing Festival, Romería and bull running

The Autumn Feria centres around the age-old traditions of livestock Ferias like this one dating back to the mediaeval autumn fairs. After the heat of the summer, the ganaderos would bring their livestock down to the Ferias for sale, and the events grew into sociable occasions with entertainments, music and plenty of other goods and services on offer for the duration. Murcia has a number of livestock fairs in September, and this one in Calasparra focuses on the two great obsessions of the area, rice and bullfighting.

Although the heart and core of this Feria is centred around bullfighting, the events which draw in visitors to the town are the encierros, the bullrunning which takes place at 10am every morning for the duration of the 6 days of the bullfights.

This is a similar activity to the run at Pamplona, but not through such a dangerous course. At 10am, the bulls which will be participating in the evening events run a 1 km course through town, with the young bloods running in front of them. Its over in about 5 minutes, but is a heck of a 5 minutes. The bullruns are a good way for the townspeople to get a measure of the bulls which will be in the ring that same evening, and attendance in the evening is often influenced by what happens in the morning when the bulls are released to run. People do get injured in Calasparra during this event.

This happens every morning for 6 days. The Romeria of the Esperanza takes place on the 7th, which will be written up in more detail separately.
We have left most of the bull-related events off the programme below, as its not  much fun receiving personally abusive emails from people who don´t agree with bullfighting every time we "promote" these events by mentioning that they are taking place, so if you´d like to know about the bullfighting, contact the Tourist office.

 Many expats however, do enjoy attending the encierros, so this information is posted as being of general tourist interest, along with the other events of this Feria.
In addition, you´ll find the Recinto ferial fairground set up at the end of Gran Vía, with tapas, rice and plenty of beer on sale, and there are a few trinket type stalls set up as well to entice you to buy bits of glitzy junk that you don´t need and ingest calories which will force the purchase of new and larger clothes.

The big concert this year is Amaral, who are a superb pop band and have a wide following of all ages, delivering mainstream happy pop and are well worth seeing.
Tickets 19 euros

Tickets in the Northwest from
Calasparra> Oficina Secretaría Ayuntamiento, Bar El Mejorano, Cafetería Joyman, Ñico Centro Fotográfico, Sonido Profesional Mangas, Viajes Zafiro Tour
Cehegín> Tránsito Bar, Bullas> Polígono 14, Caravaca de la Cruz>Code Informática, Moratalla> Café Cacao, Or online fom Corte Inglés.

Venues: The main venue for most events is the Cine Rosales, Click Cine Rosales
Tourist office, Calasparra, Click Tourist office Calasparra

Saturday 1st September
6.30pm     Veterans football game:
            CALASPARRA F. C.
            ALBACETE BALOMPIÉ
In the moments before the matches begin, veterans of Calasparra FC will play a 10 minute game against 100 children , aged between 6 and 10 years old.
3 euros entry, children under 12


8.45pm Inauguration of the bullfighting painting exhibition, “Nobleza y bravura” by the artist Nicolás de Maya.
and the presentation of the bullfighting photographic exhibition,  TAUROMAQUIA “Detalles”, by Pedro Navarro Laforet.
Both exhibitions visitable between the 1st and 8th September in the Casa de la Cultura.
        Ayuntamiento de Calasparra


Sunday 2nd September
10,00am Childrens encierro.
        Plaza de la Constitución, C/ Mayor, C/ Lavador, C/ Ordóñez, Plaza de Toros.

10,45am    EL CHIKIENCIERRO, “Childrens encierro with carts” for the really small children.
    Plaza de Toros  -  C/. Ordóñez

12,00 Midday The “Chupinazo” which announces the official start to the Feria and Fiestas 2012. Taking place on the balcony of the Town hall, in Plaza de la Corredera


9.30pm Inaugural parade of the fiestas with a pasacalles, to begin the  Bands festival which follows in the Cine Rosales.
Plaza de la Corredera - Cine Rosales.

10pm     XXIII EDICIÓN DEL FESTIVAL DE BANDAS DE MÚSICA VILLA DE CALASPARRA.
Festyival of band music, with the participation of  the: Agrupación Musical Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, from Molinos Marfagones in Cartagena and the Asociación Banda de Música from Calasparra.
Taking place in the Cine Rosales
Free entry

Monday 3rd September
10,00am The first of the weeks     ENCIERROS, with runners following a route via:.
        Plaza de la Constitución, C/ Mayor, C/ Lavador, C/ Ordóñez, Plaza de Toros.

        Suelta de Vaquillas in the  Plaza de Toros.

9.30pm Pasacalles ( parade through the streets) by the groups participating in the Festival of folk dancing.
        Salida desde el Recinto Ferial.

10pm. XV Edición del Festival Internacional de Folclore “Villa de Calasparra”.
Folklore festival, with costumed folk dancing and music.
With the participation of Folklore groups: From Russia– Alania, República Autónoma de Osetia del Norte, From peru -  Conjunto de Danza “Gorets”and “Acodanza”, performing the Danza de las Tijeras
    Location:     Cine Rosales
Free entry

Tuesday 4th September
10,00 am The second of the weeks    ENCIERROS, with runners following a route via Plaza de la Constitución, C/ Mayor, C/ Lavador, C/ Ordóñez, Plaza de Toros.

        Followed by a Suelta de Vaquillas in la Plaza de Toros.

23,00 pm NIGHT OF ROCK MUSIC, with:
        Los Madison
        Antonio Cassinello Trío
        La banda del Pez Gato     
In the Cine Rosales.

Wednesday 5th September
10,00am The third of the weeks ENCIERROS. with runners following a route via    Plaza de la Constitución, C/ Mayor, C/ Lavador, C/ Ordóñez, Plaza de Toros.

    Followed by a     Suelta de Vaquillas in la Plaza de Toros.


20,45 pm Childrens Fancy Dress Parade    
Starts in the Avda. 1º de Mayo (next to Cafetería JOYMAN) and finishes at the Cine Rosales.

21,15pm Grand children´s musical spectacular.
A representation of " The nmenace of Blackbeard the pirate."
    Location: Cine Rosales.

22,30pm Astronomical observation
With telescopes pointed towards Jupiter, a chance for all the family to observes the stars.
Location: Avda. 1º de Mayo, opposite the Plaza Emilio Pérez Piñero.


Thursday 6th September
10,00am The fourth of the weeks ENCIERROS with runners following a route via Plaza de la Constitución, C/ Mayor, C/ Lavador, C/ Ordóñez, Plaza de Toros.
        Followed by a Suelta de Vaquillas in la Plaza de Toros.


23,00 pm Night of Nostalgia
Tribute to  ABBA (THE WORLD TOUR).
and
        THE LADIES.
    Cine Rosales.
Tickets 7 euros (ask in tourist office).

Friday 7th September
ROMERIA AL SANTUARIO DE NUESTRA SEÑORA DE
LA ESPERANZA
The Day of the Romería to the sanctuary of our Lady of Hope

10,00am The fifth of the weeks     ENCIERROS with runners following a route via Plaza de la Constitución, C/ Mayor, C/ Lavador, C/ Ordóñez, Plaza de Toros.

        Followed by a Suelta de Vaquillas in la Plaza de Toros.


20,00pm Holy Mass in the open square of the sanctuary of La Esperanza.

21,00 pm. Following the Eucharist, a torchlit procession with the 2 images of the Virgen de la Esperanza takes place around the sanctuary. horas    

23,00pm Holy Mass inside the hermitage.    

24,00 pm Various acts in the main square of the hermitage

During this day, all the faorground attractions are 2 for i in the Recinto ferial.

Saturday 8th September
Fiesta day of the Patrona

10,00 am The sixth of the ENCIERROS, with the runners following a route via     Plaza de la Constitución, C/ Mayor, C/ Lavador, C/ Ordóñez, Plaza de Toros.

        Followed by a Suelta de Vaquillas in la Plaza de Toros.

11,00am Concert in the sanctuary of La Esperanza, given by the Asociación Banda de Música de Calasparra.
In the main square of the sanctuary.
13,00pm Solemn Eucharist and procession with the images of the Virgen(s) de la Esperanza, sung by the choir of the Coro Parroquial de San Pedro Apóstol.
    In the hermitage of the sanctuary

23,00 pm In concert, with their new tour, “Hacia lo salvaje” the fantastic pop group
        AMARAL     
    Campo Municipal de Deportes “La Caverina”.
Ticket sale entry

Sunday 9th September
09,00am    VI CONCURSO CANINO NACIONAL “VILLA DE CALASPARRA”.
National dog show
Pabellón Municipal de Deportes

22,00 pm     Concert given by the ASSOCIACION BANDA DE MUSICA DE CALASPARRA.
End of season concert ( Pasadobles special).
    Plaza de la Corredera.