By Coral Gables Gazette staff
After drawing thousands to Alhambra Circle in March for a day of Spanish music, cuisine, and cultural celebration, the popular Feria de Sevilla will not return to Coral Gables in 2026—at least not in its full form.
At a September 30 meeting of the city’s International Affairs Coordinating Council (IACC), members expressed frustration and disappointment over the decision, questioning what had gone wrong and why the event’s organizers had chosen not to return. While limited satellite events may still be held in the city, the festival itself—hailed by many as a cultural highlight of the year—is moving elsewhere.
A celebrated success—now gone
The inaugural Feria de Sevilla transformed Alhambra Circle near Salzedo Street into a colorful showcase of Andalusian culture, with traditional flamenco dancing, Spanish food and wine, and vibrant music drawing more than 8,000 attendees. The event was co-organized with support from the Spanish-American Chamber of Commerce and the city’s Sister City relationship with Sevilla.
Mayor Vince Lago celebrated the event on social media shortly afterward, writing: “I’m so proud to have inaugurated and participated in the very first Fería de Sevilla in Coral Gables! La Feria was a vibrant and spectacular celebration, bringing our community together with incredible music, delicious food, and unforgettable entertainment. Another successful cultural event in the books, showcasing the rich diversity that makes our City Beautiful shine. ¡Hasta la próxima!”
But as several council members noted last week, there won’t be a próxima.
“Why are we losing them?”
The question of Feria’s absence arose during a broader IACC discussion about Coral Gables’ Sister City partnerships—specifically, which cities should remain active and which might be moved to “emeritus” status. Sevilla is currently active, and its Sister City relationship played a key role in launching the March festival.
Council member Al Cueto asked whether the City of Sevilla had directly invested in the event.
“They did put a lot into it,” replied city economic development representative Leticia “Letty” Perez.
Council chair Olga Ramudo explained that despite support from Sevilla and enthusiasm from city leadership, logistical and regulatory hurdles made the event difficult to execute. “They found it extremely hard to work in the city,” Ramudo said. “They couldn’t cook, they couldn’t have horses.”
She added that event organizers faced rigid assembly and breakdown windows for tents and stages. “The guidelines forced them to assemble and disassemble the infrastructure with little flexibility,” she said. “We are losing them, which is a shame.”
Consistency in city support
Vice Chair Richard Montes de Oca questioned whether the city applies its event restrictions equally. “The city makes concessions for some events and not others,” he said. “If we’re tasked with engaging internationally and bringing these cultural exchanges, we have to find a way to get the same concessions. Otherwise, why are we working so hard to get these things? It took a lot of time and effort, and it was a huge success. Do they really appreciate the value it brings to the city?”
Ramudo said she believes the mayor and commissioners supported the event in principle but pointed to “complicated” guidelines and administrative processes as obstacles. “We put in hours and hours and hours of work,” she said. “It’s disappointing to lose this.”
Cueto pressed the issue further: “Why does it have to be so complicated?” He suggested that changes in administrative leadership—potentially in the City Manager’s office—might have played a role in the friction.
Other cultural efforts also affected
Ramudo noted that similar logistical barriers affected other recent initiatives, including a mural project in partnership with the City of Málaga, another Sister City. A visiting artist, she said, left Coral Gables without completing the piece.
“I think it’s the city’s restrictions,” she said. “Look what happened with the walls. A muralist came here for a week and did nothing.”
Looking forward
Despite their concerns, council members emphasized their continued commitment to expanding Coral Gables’ international partnerships and programming. Montes de Oca said his remarks were not just about the loss of Feria de Sevilla, but about making future collaborations more viable.
“My comments are targeted to making sure future events don’t face the same obstacles,” he said.
At the same meeting, the IACC elected Estrellita Sibila, a Coral Gables-based attorney, to join the council. Members also voted to postpone a proposed expansion of the council from seven to nine members until 2026.
This Post Has 9 Comments
Because it was awful! Long lines and expensive, even for the gables
Badly organized and run , over sold event , no crowd control . Food and drink lines were incredible long , minimum 1 hour wait , not enough sitting areas . I saw 2 women in separate occasions faint and had EMS respond. Great idea , terrible execution. We left without eating after being there for over an hour, went to eat at Doc B’s .
Key Biscayne had already “lost” this overpriced, watered down festival, in spite of its many wealthy Spanish residents.
Let’s not relax our strict standards!
Just fly to Sevilla for the Feria, if you can stand the searing heat.
Great idea but overpriced and disorganized. Not the City but event coordinators are responsible
The reaction or sentiment in the other country being honored does not depend solely on a city like Coral Gables, because Coral Gables neither imports nor exports products. What reflects the sentiment of another country is the attitude of the US central government towards the international scene, and currently, I don’t think that attitude is very popular. These sister city events are an invention of the city of Coral Gables, and while it’s fine to honor, in some way, the Hispanic residents of Coral Gables, or those from other nations, if we are going to celebrate a national day, what is unacceptable is the discriminatory practice of displaying only the Israeli flag at City Hall, and not other flags during other events, such as the celebration of the Mexican flag on May 5th. As Shakespeare said, “To be or not to be”—either we celebrate all of them, or we stop these events that are merely used by politicians to curry favor with different nationalities and gain votes in elections.
I think the City needs an ombudsman with power.
Very well written article. It will be beneficial to anybody who utilizes it, as well as me. Keep doing what you are doing – can’r wait to read more posts.
It was never implied that the Malaga Murals were not finished – they were indeed finished and are beautiful. The issue was not having permission in time from the private building owners. In the meantime the artist had to wait in Miami for a week.
Official Statement – La Feria de Sevilla in Miami 2025
La Feria de Sevilla in Miami would like to express its deepest gratitude to the City of Coral Gables for the opportunity to celebrate last year’s edition in such a beautiful and emblematic city with which we feel deeply connected and that celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was a true honor to be part of Coral Gables, and we remain sincerely thankful to Mayor Vince Lago and the comissionars that unanimosly voted in favor of the event, Belkys Perez and Leticia Perez from the Economic Development Office, Olga Ramudo and all the city officials who supported and welcomed us so warmly.
After an unforgettable edition that broke attendance records, and in our effort to ensure that everybody can enjoy the event and we can stay true to the essence and scale of La Feria de Sevilla, we have decided to move this year’s celebration to a larger venue — Tropical Park. This new location will allow us to accommodate the growing interest from the community and to ensure that key elements of the event, such as the horses and the traditional Andalusian ambiance, can be fully experienced by all attendees. The new venue will also make it possible to accommodate a larger stage, more public casetas featuring Spanish gastronomy and more seating space.
We look forward to continuing to share the joy, culture, and traditions of Spain with Miami, building upon the incredible foundation established in Coral Gables.
The Organization of La Feria de Sevilla in Miami