The Harvest Festival began in 1954, initiated by José Santos Piña, a local from Alcalá residing in Villanueva del Ariscal. Typically held at the end of August and the beginning of September each year, the festival was established to promote local wines in the national market. Various events are organised leading up to one of the most significant moments: the grape stomping and the extraction of the year’s first must. Among these events is the Opening Ceremony, during which the Queen of the Festival and her honour court are crowned, along with the presentation of the Children’s Queen and her attendants, and the awarding of badges to the announcer and the Child Foreman.
Additionally, during the festival, there is a pilgrimage involving floats, carriages, horse riders, and pedestrians, transporting San Ginés (the patron saint of viticulture) to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto, where the first fruits of the vine are offered to the Patroness of the Aljarafe.
The festival concludes with a fair that opens on the Thursday of the first week of September, ending on Sunday with the grape stomping at the municipal tent.
Beyond the unique characteristics of such celebrations, this event provides an opportunity to showcase Ariscale wines in the market, expanding their commercial reach nationally through the many visitors who come to the village. This includes not only residents from the Aljarafe region and nearby provinces but also tourists from across Spain who visit the wineries and have the chance to experience the variety and quality of local wines through tastings offered to them.
Programme
From 4th September to 7th September, the Sevillian municipality of Villanueva del Ariscal prepares to host one of its most emblematic celebrations: the Harvest Fair and Festival, which has been declared a Festival of National Interest in Andalusia since 1998 and this year celebrates its 71st edition.
Sunday, 31st August
08:30 h (Avenue of Andalucía)
Pilgrimage in honour of San Ginés towards the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto, accompanied by the San Antonio de Padua Municipal Band.
Holy Mass at the Sanctuary with the offering of fruits to Our Lady of Loreto.
17:30 h Return to Villanueva.
The Festival Queen will present a bouquet of flowers to the Immaculate Conception at the Hermitage of San Miguel.
During the pilgrimage: Competitions for carriages and horse riders.
Thursday, 4th September
22:00 h (from the Town Hall to the Fairground) Official opening of the Fair and the 71st Harvest Festival.
22:30 h Illumination switch-on by the Festival Queen. Award for the best tent.
Musical performance: Decibelios Orchestra.
Friday, 5th September
19:00 h (Fairground) Parade with the “The Pingüinos” band and entertainers.
Evening: performance by the Decibelios Orchestra.
Saturday, 6th September
15:30 h (Municipal tent) Spanish songs and coplas with: Ivana Show, Maribel Rodríguez, Miguel Fernández, Tere Sánchez, and Paco Mariscal.
22:00 h: Decibelios Orchestra.
00:00 h: Musical performance by Las Soles.
Sunday, 7th September
First Grape Stomping of the Year
Child Foreman: Carlos Alonso Domínguez.
Accompanied by Álvaro Peña Escudero (Child Foreman from the previous edition).
Chief Foreman: Rafael Gallego-Góngora Díaz.
Blessing: Daniel Martín Reyes.
Presented by: Enrique Castro Miguel.
Collaborators: José Borrego Vázquez and Antonio Borrego Suárez.
13:00 to 19:00 h: Horse Parade through the Fairground.
22:30 h: Closing of the Fair and the 71st Harvest Festival.
Awards ceremony: for best horse riders, newcomers, carriages, flamenco dresses, and academic prizes.
The fair and Harvest Festival of Villanueva del Ariscal is a celebration with its own identity that preserves the essence of the harvest and has become an essential date in the festive calendar of the Aljarafe and the entire province.
