3rd Early-Harvest Olive Oil Fair in Guadalcanal (20-22 November 2026): a weekend plan for groups
There's a moment each year when the Sierra Norte smells different: the olive mills start pressing the first olives, still green, and out comes an intense, fruity oil with a peppery kick that you can only find for a few weeks a year. To celebrate it, Guadalcanal is holding the 3rd Early-Harvest Olive Oil Fair (Feria del AOVE Temprano) from 20 to 22 November 2026, just 4 km (about 5 minutes' drive) from Cortijo Los Tomillares.
What the fair is about
This is the third edition of a fair organised by the Guadalcanal Town Council, under a slogan that says it all: "The taste of the first oil that defines our land". According to the Town Council, the programme will include:
- Tastings of early-harvest extra virgin olive oil.
- Round-table talks about the olive groves and the work behind each harvest.
- Stands with local produce.
- Performances and other activities over the three days.
The aim is to show how this oil is made, what makes it different and how to use it in the kitchen, and to celebrate the olive groves and the culture around them. The Town Council will publish the full programme with times later on its website (guadalcanal.es), so check it before you go.
What's special about early-harvest oil?
Early-harvest extra virgin olive oil is made from olives picked at the very start of the season, while they're still green. They yield less oil per kilo, but the result is a deep green, highly aromatic juice with notes of freshly cut grass and the bitterness and pepperiness that oil lovers look for. It's an oil to taste raw: on a slice of country bread, with a good tomato or simply for dipping.
A weekend plan for your group
The fair fits perfectly with what the cortijo does best: bringing lots of people together around a table. Here's our suggested plan:
Friday. Arrive at the cortijo, light the fire in the living room and enjoy a relaxed first dinner. In November, nights in the sierra already call for a fire and a blanket.
Saturday. In the morning, head to Guadalcanal: stroll around the fair, join a tasting and buy freshly pressed oil (and whatever catches your eye at the stands). In the afternoon, back at the cortijo, put it to use: the wood-fired oven is perfect for roast lamb or potatoes finished with a drizzle of the new oil. The cortijo's kitchen is set up for cooking for a large group.
Sunday. A long breakfast of toast and early-harvest oil (the best way to compare the bottles you've bought), a walk in the countryside and, if you're up for it, a nearby trail. The Huéznar waterfalls, the Cerro del Hierro and the Vía Verde are all within about half an hour.
Why Cortijo Los Tomillares for this plan
- For groups of up to 30 people, with 9 bedrooms and the whole house to yourselves: ideal for large families, groups of friends or clubs.
- Wood-fired oven and kitchen to cook your own feast with oil from the fair.
- Living room with fireplace and billiards for long autumn evenings.
- Just 4 km from Guadalcanal, so you can go back and forth to the fair as often as you like.
Book early
November is one of the first months to fill up at the cortijo: many groups book months in advance. If this plan appeals to you, ask us about availability as soon as possible. And if you can't make it this year, keep the fair in mind for the next one: it's already in its third edition, and the early-harvest oil of the Sierra Norte is worth the trip.