The Cordoba Patios festival 2021 is approaching now it takes place every year during the first week of May and is a long standing tradition of the city of Cordoba. “Patios” translates to “courtyards” and the festival celebrates the art of elaborately decorating courtyards with hundreds of colorful flowers and plants.
The people of Cordoba haughtily open the gates of the courtyards in the old quarter of the city during the days of this festival. They decorate the courtyards out especially for the occasion with pots full of geraniums, carnations and jasmines that hang from the whitewashed walls. They can be visited practically at any time of the day and the chance to taste delicious tapas from Cordoba and Montilla-Moriles wine.
The festival is celebrated during the first fortnight of May. It is not, however the only chance you will have to visit the countryside in Cordoba. You can visit the Trueque Cuatro Courtyards Festival Visitor Center, the Palacio de Viana or sign up for a special visit at any time of the year.
Since the first patios event in 1918, the Cordobeses have been cultivating and caring for their patios every day. These secret courtyards are privately owned, hidden behind the homes, door and walls of the city, but for one week of the year they are opened to the public, who can come and enjoy the beauty of the flowers, plants and architecture.
The opening hours of the festival tend to stay the same every year, for the week of the festival the patios are open from 11am to 2pm and from 6pm to 10pm every day. All patios are free to enter but small donations are appreciated by the hardworking owners.
What are the best routes for the Cordoba Patios Festival?
A great place to start a route through the patios is at the Palacio de Viana – a 15th century manor house surrounded by 12 beautiful courtyards, situated in the Santa marina neighborhood.
The San Basilio or “Alcazar Viejo” neighborhood and the Juderia neighborhood or “Old Jewish Quarter” is also ideal sports to start a route through the city.
The amount of patios change each year and thus, the routes do as well. You can find an interactive map with all the suggested routed on the Puerta de los Patios website or download the app to your phone or tablet from the app store. This website is updated every year with the new routes and all open patios, so it’s accurate and a great tool to have in your pocket during a day enjoying the patios.
What is the Cordoba Patios Festival?
The Cordoba Patios Festival is known in Spanish as “La Fiesta de los Patios Cordobeses” or simply “Los Patios de Cordoba” and is Cordoba’s most anticipated yearly event.
For 13 days in May, the Cordobeses throw open the gates and doors to their private patios and reveal the secret floral delight within.
The patios are a floral paradise; each space is filled with plant pots of brown, blue or green overflowing with flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes. Lush green leaves are accented with explosions of vivid pinks, bright reds, dark purples, burnt oranges and delicate pastel shades.
The patios are also filled with eclectic ornaments and decorative elements like small water features, antique gardening tools, artwork and shrines to San Raphaet – the Patron Saint of the Patios.
The history of the Patios of Cordoba
The Patios of Cordoba tradition dates back to Roman times. Located in a part of the country where temperature is extreme, the Patios required constant care and attention all year round. This was no small feat considering that in Cordoba, daytime temperatures often surpass 40 Degree C in the summer months and night time frosts are not uncommon.
To compensate for this harsh climate, the Romans and then later on the Muslims built their houses in a particular way, incorporating courtyards into the center of the building complex. These courtyards were cool, shaded inner spaces where families congregated to escape the summer heat and collect any rainwater that fell.
The Muslims however are the ones that really took creating relaxing patios and inner spaces to a whole new level. They are deemed with introducing water features and plants into the patios, with the purpose of increasing the sense of freshness and tranquility. Interestingly, this actually works very well and temperatures inside some patios are said to be between 10 Degree Celsius to 15 Degree Celsius cooler than the street outside the house, a huge difference in the summer months.
The Muslims also put a lot of more emphasis on the social element. They believed that a patio should not just be a place of beauty and tranquility, but also a place for people to meet and socialize.
May in Cordoba
May has always been a big month in Cordoba. There are three huge events which take place and thus, the month long celebrations are known collectively as Mayo Cordobes or “Cordoban May”.
The month starts with the Cruses de Mayo or the festival of the Crosses which involves the residents of Cordoba competing for the best decorated cross made of flowers. There is a succession of flower-covered floats known as La Batalla de las Flores or the “Battle of the Flowers”
This is followed closely by the Patios Festival – the most anticipated event on the calendar.
The Celebrations are finished off with the Feria De Cordoba (the Cordoba Fair) with visitors and locals alike dancing the nights away the traditional flamenco music and enjoying the party atmosphere.
Cordoba Patios Festival 2021 will soon be approaching in Spain. Don’t miss out on this beautiful festival of flowers. Spain is beautiful place to visit and the flowers in the courtyard make it look more magnificent. Easily get a Spain visa appointment online to proceed with your application process.
