The space that hosts the Seville Fair has an official name, Real de la Feria, and a popular one, Real de Los Remedios. This title of "Real" (Royal) was granted by King Alfonso XIII in 1916, after he was satisfied with his visit. The fair, originating in 1847 as a livestock market, moved in 1973 to the Los Remedios neighborhood from its previous location at the Prado de San Sebastián, a change motivated by the need for more space for its growth.
Urban planning and logistics of a massive event 🗺️
The 1973 relocation represented a considerable urban planning project. It involved designing a grid of streets, installing basic services like electricity and water for hundreds of casetas, and managing flows of people and vehicles. Today, the infrastructure requires a robust electrical grid, telecommunications systems for operations and security, and a public transport plan that includes special bus lines and access control. Technology facilitates coordination.
From stables to fiber optics: evolution in the casetas 📡
It's curious to think that this event was born to showcase the vigor of draft animals and today the debate is about the bandwidth needed to upload stories to Instagram from the caseta. Before, the technical problem was where to tie the horses; now, it's finding a free socket to charge the phone. Lighting went from oil lanterns to software-controlled LEDs, although the goal remains similar: for the flamenco dress to look good, whether in person or in a filtered video.