Álora celebrates Sopas Perotas Day this Saturday with free tastings, live music and a food market

Álora will once again put its local cuisine in the spotlight this Saturday 3 October with a new edition of Sopas Perotas Day. The event will bring together traditional food, live music, popular culture and activities for different age groups across several locations in the town.

This year marks the 22nd edition of the celebration, which revolves around one of Álora’s most distinctive dishes, a recipe historically linked to agricultural work and traditional resourceful cooking.

In addition to the tastings organised as part of the main event, 20 local bars will offer free portions of Sopas Perotas to their customers, extending the celebration beyond the squares where most of the official programme takes place.

Plaza Baja de la Despedía and Fuente Arriba will be two of the main venues, with a programme including a food market, children’s workshops, tastings, guided tours, verdiales and several live performances.

What are Sopas Perotas?

Sopas Perotas are one of the most representative dishes in Álora’s traditional cuisine.

Despite the name, they are not a liquid soup in the conventional sense.

Bread is the main ingredient and absorbs the stock and flavours from the cooked vegetables until it develops a much firmer texture.

The traditional recipe uses bread from previous days, together with ingredients such as tomato, onion, pepper, asparagus, potato, olive oil and water.

The exact ingredients may vary slightly depending on the family, the season or local tradition.

One of the key elements is getting the amount of stock right so that the bread absorbs the flavours without becoming either too wet or too dry.

A recipe born in the countryside

The origins of Sopas Perotas are closely connected to agricultural work.

For decades, farm labourers prepared the dish during breaks using simple ingredients that could easily be carried or found in local vegetable gardens.

Bread from previous days was reused instead of being wasted, while fresh vegetables provided the rest of the ingredients.

Some groups of workers even had a designated “maestro sopero”, the person responsible for preparing the meal for everyone.

The dish therefore served a double purpose: making use of available food while providing a substantial meal before returning to work.

How Sopas Perotas are traditionally prepared

One traditional method starts by breaking rustic bread from previous days into pieces and placing it in a large bowl.

Potatoes are prepared separately, followed by a sofrito made with ingredients such as peppers, onion, asparagus and tomato.

Once the vegetables have cooked, the potatoes and the required amount of liquid are added.

The hot mixture is then poured over the bread so that it absorbs the flavours and takes on the characteristic texture of the dish.

Traditionally, Sopas Perotas may be served with different seasonal products including oranges, cucumbers, olives, figs or prickly pears.

Aloreña olives, the traditional accompaniment

One of the most common accompaniments is Aloreña olives, another product strongly associated with the local area.

The combination of Sopas Perotas and olives has long been part of the tastings organised during the festival.

The event therefore promotes not only one particular recipe, but also other agricultural and gastronomic products from the Guadalhorce Valley.

A festival spread across Álora

The celebration will not be limited to one venue.

One of this year’s aims is to spread activities throughout different parts of the town and involve local hospitality businesses.

A total of 20 bars in Álora will take part by serving free Sopas Perotas tapas to their customers.

This gives residents and visitors the opportunity to try the traditional dish while discovering different local establishments.

The initiative effectively turns the festival into a small gastronomic route through Álora and helps distribute the economic activity generated by the event among local bars and restaurants.

Food market in Plaza Baja

Plaza Baja de la Despedía will be one of the main meeting points during the day.

A food market will be set up there, featuring local products and proposals connected to regional cuisine and the surrounding area.

The programme also includes guided tastings, offering visitors the chance to learn more about some of the products associated with local gastronomy.

The event therefore combines popular food tasting with a more educational approach to food, farming and Álora’s traditions.

Activities for children

Sopas Perotas Day is designed as an event for different generations.

The programme therefore also includes children’s workshops and activities aimed at younger visitors.

This makes it possible for families to spend much of the day in Álora while combining the food tastings with entertainment.

The family programme complements the concerts, cultural activities and guided tours taking place throughout the day.

Guided tours to discover Álora

Visitors travelling to the town for the festival will also have the opportunity to join guided tours.

These activities allow the gastronomic event to be combined with an introduction to Álora’s history and heritage.

The town has several points of cultural and architectural interest that help explain its development and its importance within the Guadalhorce Valley.

This is particularly useful for visitors travelling from Málaga city, the Costa del Sol or other nearby towns specifically for the festival.

Verdiales will also play an important role

Traditional Málaga music will form part of the programme.

Performances by Pandas de Verdiales are planned during the day, bringing one of Málaga province’s most distinctive musical traditions to the event.

Their presence reinforces the traditional character of a festival that is not focused solely on food.

The aim is to bring together gastronomy, music, culture and local identity within the same celebration.

Tamara Jerez opens the afternoon concerts

From 3:00 pm, live music will take on a more prominent role.

Tamara Jerez will perform on the stage in Plaza Baja.

Her concert will be the first of the three main musical performances announced for the afternoon.

The schedule is designed to keep the atmosphere going after the main food tastings and extend the celebrations throughout much of Saturday.

Luis Molero performs at 4:30 pm

The second live music event is scheduled for 4:30 pm.

Luis Molero will perform at the Hermandad del Señor de las Torres.

The change of location once again helps distribute the festival across different parts of the town centre.

Visitors walking through Álora during Sopas Perotas Day will therefore find activities taking place beyond the main stages.

A La Oreja de Van Gogh tribute closes the music programme

The final major concert of the day will begin at 6:00 pm in Fuente Arriba.

The programme will conclude with a tribute to La Oreja de Van Gogh.

It will be one of the final events of a day that begins several hours earlier with food, markets, workshops and cultural activities.

The tribute concert provides a broad, accessible musical finale to the celebration.

A chance to discover the Guadalhorce Valley

Sopas Perotas Day is also a good opportunity to explore Álora and the wider Guadalhorce Valley.

The town is located around 40 kilometres from Málaga city and can also be reached by local commuter train.

Its location makes it suitable for a day trip combining food, heritage and scenery.

Álora is also one of the main gateways to El Chorro and the Caminito del Rey area, although anyone planning to combine both experiences should check opening times and ticket availability in advance.

A celebration that attracts visitors every year

Over the years, Sopas Perotas Day has become one of the main gastronomic events on Álora’s local calendar.

The Town Hall highlights that the event attracts numerous visitors each year who come to try the traditional recipe and enjoy the atmosphere.

The combination of free tastings, local bars, music and cultural activities gives the event a popular and accessible character.

At the same time, it serves as a showcase for Álora’s gastronomy and other products associated with the surrounding area.

Main times for Sopas Perotas Day

The event will take place on Saturday 3 October 2026 at different locations around Álora.

The main confirmed times include:

3:00 pm: Tamara Jerez concert in Plaza Baja.

4:30 pm: Luis Molero performance at Hermandad del Señor de las Torres.

6:00 pm: La Oreja de Van Gogh tribute in Fuente Arriba.

Throughout the day there will also be tastings, the food market, children’s workshops, guided tastings, guided tours, dance performances and verdiales.

20 bars will serve free Sopas Perotas

One of the most useful details for anyone planning to visit Álora is the involvement of local bars.

Twenty establishments in the town will offer free Sopas Perotas tapas to their customers throughout the day.

This means visitors do not need to remain only in the main event area to try the dish.

The initiative encourages people to explore Álora, discover its local hospitality businesses and experience different ways of serving the same traditional recipe.

A Saturday of food, music and local culture

The 22nd Sopas Perotas Day turns Álora into one of Málaga province’s main gastronomic destinations this Saturday.

The traditional dish is the central theme, but the programme goes far beyond simply sitting down to eat.

A food market, free tastings, 20 participating bars, verdiales, guided tours, children’s activities and three major live performances make it possible to spend almost the entire day enjoying the town.

The event also preserves its original spirit: celebrating a humble recipe born from rural life and turning it into a way of sharing and promoting Álora’s gastronomic identity.