With the municipal swimming pools having just opened and the summer movie screenings about to begin, the Seville City Council has surprised us with news that is usually announced in September: the official design for the 2027 April Fair banner is already here.
The delegate for Major Festivals, Manuel Alés, left everyone in the Colón Hall of City Hall speechless by bringing forward this traditional presentation to the middle of June. It seems that nostalgia for the fair knows no calendar.
The winning design is titled “Gateway to Dreams 1927” and is the work of Hugo Montalbán. He is a familiar face at the Real, having already designed the 2017 gate dedicated to Expo ’92.
This time, the artist has chosen to pay a double tribute to the city’s history, heritage, and literature.
A Journey to the Morocco Pavilion and the Generation of ’27
The cover for the 2027 April Fair moves away from the classic warm colors and will stand out for its cool color palette, which breaks completely with tradition.
- The structure will serve as a large canvas inspired by Mediterranean and Neo-Moroccan styles, with white as the dominant color.
- The design is primarily based on the majestic Moroccan Pavilion from the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. The green hues of its glazed roof tiles and the blues of its interior tilework make their way onto the cover, evoking Seville’s starry sky.
- A nod to literature and olive groves. The towers on the gate are inspired by the Cortijo de Pino Montano, the birthplace of the legendary Generation of ’27 and closely linked to Ignacio Sánchez Mejías. A fitting tribute to celebrate the centennial of this group of irreplaceable artists.
During the presentation, Hugo Montalbán confessed that:
The Numbers Behind the Ephemeral Colossus
The 2027 entrance gate will once again be an imposing, large-scale monument presiding over the Real. This temporary structure—50 meters wide, 40 meters high, and 6 meters deep— will once again be organized around three large entrance arches.
The central design will offer a monumental reinterpretation of the ornate richness of the Morocco Pavilion, replete with moldings, reliefs, and Hispano-Moroccan geometric motifs (zelliges).
On either side, two secondary doors inspired by the pavilion’s side fountains will balance the composition.
The definitive Sevillian touch will come from the albero-colored baseboard, which will tie the photogenic design together.
The Fair’s machinery has officially kicked into gear, and the countdown to April 12 has begun.
