Arts and Crafts Fair in Campello during the Moros y Cristianos festival

Every year in October Campello holds its “Moros y Cristianos” festival: dressed up in impressive costumes representing either Moors or Christians, they re-enact the landing of the Moors on the beach, followed by the conquest of a (card board) castle by the Moors and later the “reconquista” of the same castle by the Christians.

Traditionally they also have a medieval market during these days, but this year that will change! The councilor for “fiestas”, Cristian Palomares Sánchez, wanted a fair with real craftwork and therefore contacted Amata to organize the event.

During the last 25 years this craft association has built up a reputation for organizing pure craft fairs: they admit nothing from a factory, nor imported goods.  Everything on sale in an Amara fair has to be hand made by the person selling it.  This means that not only can you find original work, but you can also place special orders when you don’t find what you are looking for! Because every participant is a real craftsman or woman and can often do the job on the spot!. What an opportunity to find some very special Christmas presents!

The stalls will be set up in the Plaza de la Constitución and the street Ramón y Cajal, offering a wide choice of good quality craft work: pottery, hand made sandals and shoes, glasswork, small furniture and fountains made of recycled wood, pyrography on wood or leather, paintings, small sculptures, patchwork, natural cosmetics and soap, and several stalls with jewelry, each one in a different style and using another material: silver, bronze, wood, leather, glass, fimo, ceramics or macramé. Various people will be working in their stall, so you can see for yourself how much detail, skill and patience goes into the making of each item. 

For the younger visitors there is a merry-go-round and a dragon-swing that can hold 8 children! There are traditional table games and every day they can make their own piece of art in one of two workshops.

The first three days, when there are not yet many activities of the Moors and Christians, the market will be enlivened by three minstrels, a stilt walker and a juggler who does a fire show at night.  In those days you can even have a go at archery.  From the 11th till the 13th of October Sergio will be there with his violin to play well known tunes from his wide repertoire of Jazz and Soul.

The fair (and the festival) are certainly worth a visit and you have five and a half days to go there: from the afternoon of Tuesday the 8th of October, till Sunday evening the 13th.  The 9th and the 12th are Bank Holidays.  Opening times are from 11 am till 2 pm and in the evenings from 6 till 10 pm.  And if you are worried about where to park: why not go there (or at least the last track) by train or bus?

The fair is very near the train station of the Alicante-Denia line and only three blocks away from the N332 where all the buses stop.  By the way: at the other side of the same N332 there is normally lots of parking space (only a few hundred yard form the fair).

More information about the fair (also in English) on 639 979 678.  If you are interested in the Moros y Cristianos activities, you can find the full program here.