* Spectacle chevaux au pied de la Basilique.

From noon on Friday 19 May until midnight Sunday 21 May, the biggest European “Feria”, apart from those held in Andalusia, will take place with all its flamboyant folklore and cultural festivities and wide range of speciality dishes on offer. Three days of “Fiesta” at the foot of the Koekelberg Basilica This fourteenth annual Spanish and International Fête, EuroFeria, will be celebrated, as in past years, in Elisabeth Park at the foot of the Koekelberg Basilica where we are expecting around 150.000 visitors.

This year it will be centred around 10 “Patios”: EuroFeria, Latino, Movida, España, Caballos, Jacques Pivin, Simonis, Europa, Andalucía and Calle del Infierno. Each Patio is a place where people can meet each other and enjoy a programme of music, song and dance as well as diverse animated activities and a variety of typical foods in the “casetas”.

La “Portada”, at the entrance to the fairground, invites everyone to join in the celebrations. It is modelled on the Cinquantenaire Arch and is given by The Municipality of Koekelberg, which supplies EuroFeria with logistic services, including provision of electricity, water and cleaning services without which the staging of the EuroFeria would be impossible. The Brussels Police Force is entrusted with security and the maintenance of law-and-order in the fairground.

The décor and set-up of the fairground and casetas are in the authentic tradition of Andalusian Férias: a magical setting with lanterns in the casetas, strolling horses, performances by the magnificent Pure-Bred Spanish horses, people dressed in pure Andalusian costumes (“flamenca” dresses for the ladies and “de corto” for the men), flamenco singing and dancing and lots of other elements which all combine to offer the sparkling spectacle of light and colour characteristic of these celebrations.

Day and night in the casetas it will be possible to enjoy food, drink and dancing in a friendly atmosphere. There will be an abundance of eats with a distinctly Mediterranean flavour as well as other European specialities: ham, shrimps, “pescaido frito” (fried fish), paella etc.  Each evening will end with the customary “churros with chocolate”.  “Manzanilla” –queen of drinks– the traditional drink at Andalusian ferias,has been brought in specially from Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cadiz) whose cuisine, based on seafood, will feature prominently in this year’s EuroFeria.