The fair takes place in two areas: one, in daytime, in the calle Larios and its surroundings (the towncentre) and the other at nightime in the special fair area. The avenida del Marqués de Larios dresses for fiesta with thousands of garlands. Above these the street is sheltered by sheets of canvas to protect the fair-goers from the strong summer sun.
The feria area is set up in the open air. Within its 500,000 square metres over 150 stalls are assembled, as well as a large parking area and a fairground. Each year Malaga City Council anticipates the extra costs to fit 300,000 electric lightbulbs, 200,000 streetlanterns and 150 lampposts so that those who go to the fair, and average of 3 million people each year, are able to enjoy the spectacles in full light.

During the day, one of the most traditional shows is the parade of thousand of horsemen, either on horseback or in wagons or coaches, intricately decorated with Andalusian motifs, many colours and many flowers. The animals are usually presented in their finest trappings. In recent years, this tradition, deeply rooted within the Malagan population, has been restricted to some avenues of the Malagueta area and the horse and carriages' access to the town centre impeded to prevent the disturbance the used to cause to the traffic.

These festivities not only offer the spectator inevitable enjoyment but also the abundance of the Malagans' elemental passion which manifests itself in the feria. For this reason it is said to be "more than just a fiesta".