San Roque Fair

La Royal Fair of San Roque, municipality of Cadiz, will take place from Tuesday, August 6, with the Coronation, to Monday, August 12, with the Toro del Aguardiente.

The Royal Fair of San Roque is celebrated in honor of the Patroness Saint Mary the Crowned and is full of joy and tradition, attracting families and visitors with a wide range of activities and shows.

This fair stands out for being one of the most economical in the Campo de Gibraltar, which allows Every day is considered "Children's Day".

The celebrations begin on Tuesday with the coronation of the Youth and Children's Queens and their respective Courts. The booths and attractions at the Fairgrounds open on Wednesday, coinciding with the day of the inaugural parade.

During the fair, bullfights, sports competitions and the popular Tapeo Route, organized by the horse riding associations of San Roque. This gastronomic route allows visitors to enjoy a varied selection of tapas and typical dishes in participating establishments.

The Fair concludes on Sunday with a spectacular display of fireworks, and the “Toro del Aguardiente” closes the celebration early on Monday morning.

The Liquor Bull

When the fireworks end and the fairground lights go out, it seems like the party is coming to an end. However, in the week of the Royal Fair of San Roque, the tradition most anticipated by the neighbors emerges: the Toro del Aguardiente.

This classic event is a custom deeply rooted in the town for centuries, even prior to the occupation of Gibraltar by the English in 1704, which highlights its historical importance for the city.

According to the chronicles of the time, every August 16, Gibraltarians made a pilgrimage to the old hermitage dedicated to San Roque. After religious services, they tied a bull to a tree to have fun, as Lorenzo Valverde relates in his Historical Letter.

After the capture of Gibraltar and the emigration of its citizens to what is now San Roque, this tradition was transferred and has been kept alive every year. The bull of the rope became the Bull of Aguardiente, consolidating itself as one of the oldest and most unique festivities in the Campo de Gibraltar.

The celebration begins at 7 in the morning with the chupinazo that marks the beginning of the route from the neighborhood of La Paz to the Plaza de Toros. The Peña Cultural Bullfighting, as usual, will guide Visitador, the bull of this edition, born in 2018 and protagonist of the event.

The running of the bulls concludes in the bullring, where three heifers are also released. It is estimated that around a hundred young people run with the bull from the neighborhood of La Paz, while more than 3,000 people gather in the plaza to witness the running of the bulls.