Torremolinos San Miguel Fair and Pilgrimage

At the end of September Torremolinos celebrates its patron saint, Saint Michael the Archangel, whose feast day is the 29th. The festivities have two parts: the pilgrimage, held on a Sunday in September before the fair, and the fair itself, which ends on the saint's day with a mass and a procession through the town centre.

The pilgrimage is the oldest part. The first one was held on 1 October 1940 at the Fuente de la Salud, as a country outing, and it was not until 1950 that it became dedicated to Saint Michael. Since then pilgrims have accompanied the patron saint, with decorated ox carts, tractors, horses and flamenco dresses, from the town centre to the San Miguel hermitage, in the Los Pinares area.

The fair is split between the town centre, with the day fair in several squares, and the fairground, with the marquees, the rides, the Municipal Auditorium and the bullring. It is organised by the Town Council and the Hermandad de San Miguel Arcángel, the brotherhood in charge of the services, the pilgrimage and the procession.

The festivities coincide with another date of the town's own: on 27 September Torremolinos marks the recovery of its status as a municipality in 1988, after having lost it in 1924.

The pilgrimage sets off from Avenida de Los Manantiales, in the town centre, and ends on the esplanade of the San Miguel hermitage, in Los Pinares, where people spend the day and there is live music in the afternoon.

The day fair takes place in the town-centre squares, such as Plaza de San Miguel, Plaza de la Unión Europea and Plaza de la Nogalera. The night fair is at the fairground, with the marquees of clubs and associations, the municipal seniors' marquee, the rides area, Plaza de España, the Príncipe de Asturias Municipal Auditorium and the bullring. The religious events on the 29th start from the San Miguel Arcángel parish church, in Plaza de San Miguel.

The Málaga–Fuengirola commuter rail line (Cercanías) has five stops in Torremolinos: La Nogalera, right in the centre and next to the day-fair squares, El Pinillo, Montemar Alto, La Colina and Los Álamos. Urban and intercity bus lines also link Torremolinos with the rest of the Costa del Sol.

The pilgrimage begins in the morning with the blessing of the pilgrims at the hermitage, a pilgrims' mass on Avenida de Los Manantiales and the departure of the procession through the town-centre streets towards Los Pinares. Along the way there is a cart and tractor contest, with prizes for the best decorated and the liveliest, which are handed out at the seniors' marquee during the fair.

Before the big day there is a triduum at the parish church and, on the eve, a flower offering to Saint Michael accompanied by a verdiales band. On the 29th mass is held in Plaza de San Miguel, followed by the procession of the patron saint through the town centre.

The fair opens with the opening speech and the lights switch-on, and there are concerts at the Auditorium every night. There is also a horse parade, a children's marquee, a seniors' marquee and Children's Day, with rides at reduced prices. In recent editions the fairground has had a daily hour with no music at the children's rides and services for autistic people and people with reduced mobility.