The XI Expo de Arte Cofrade in Bobadilla Estación will take place on October 17 and 18 with 177 participants, 21 processional music bands, and over 70 activities. The organisation hopes to surpass last year's 15,000 visitors.
The XI Expo de Arte Cofrade in Bobadilla Estación, a district of Antequera, is set for Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18. The local sports pavilion will host the exhibition throughout the weekend, bringing together 177 participants, including brotherhoods, associations, artisans, and professionals from the cofrade sector.
Of the total registered, 147 are from brotherhoods, associations, and institutions, while the 30 remaining are professionals and artisans linked to disciplines such as goldsmithing, carving, wax, and the heritage of Holy Week. The organisation expects to repeat or exceed the 15,000 visits recorded in the 2025 edition.
The presentation took place on Wednesday, September 9, at a press conference featuring the Deputy Mayor for Major Festivals and Traditions, Elena Melero; the Councillor for Outlying Areas and Rural Development, Sara Ríos; the president of the Autonomous Local Entity of Bobadilla Estación, Diana Ramos; and the exhibition commissioner, Francisco González, representing the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Most Holy Christ of Souls.
“The exhibition enters its eleventh edition as a fully established fair, capable of turning Bobadilla Estación into the centre of Andalusia for the cofrade world throughout the weekend,” highlighted Diana Ramos.
The Musical Contest will again be one of the main attractions, featuring 21 bands from various parts of Andalusia and other autonomous communities. On Saturday, October 17, the Santa María Magdalena Musical Group from Arahal will close the day, and on Sunday, October 18, the Banda de Cornetas y Tambores Nuestra Señora del Rosario Coronada, Rosario de Cádiz, will provide the grand finale.
Elena Melero emphasised the support of the Antequera City Council for an event that has reached eleven editions and congratulated the Brotherhood of Sorrows, the ELA, and the organisers for their hard work. The Deputy Mayor noted that the lineup includes bands of “very high level”.
This year's highlights include the first presence of the Brotherhood of Vera Cruz, which groups nearly forty brotherhoods from different parts of Spain. There will also be a focus on new technologies applied to the brotherhoods, with demonstrations of scanning and 3D reproduction of images to create figures, lights, and personalised candles.
The programme includes over 70 activities, with family-friendly initiatives such as the cofrade game “Así se sale”, recycling workshops, live instrument repairs, live embroidery, and incense tastings. Francisco González pointed out that the goal is to make the fair appealing to both cofrades and any visitors interested in music, heritage, and the craftsmanship of popular religiosity.
The Expo Arte Cofrade is declared a Provincial Tourist Interest Festival and is sponsored by the Tourism and External Andalucía Department of the Junta de Andalucía, along with the collaboration of the Málaga Provincial Council, the Antequera City Council, the ELA of Bobadilla Estación, and various municipalities, businesses, and shops.
The event will take place on October 17 and 18 at the sports pavilion of Bobadilla Estación, with access for the general public. The organisation invites residents, brotherhoods, cofrades, and fans of processional music to participate in a weekend that turns the district into a meeting point for the Andalusian cofrade world.
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