Seville · Plaza de la Encarnación
Live guitar, song and dance for sixty minutes in a tablao beneath the Metropol Parasol, Seville's wooden landmark.
Live guitar, song and dance in an intimate room, with a cocktail made from Jerez sherry on the General ticket.
Four facts about the setting
The parasols and the stage
Locals call the Metropol Parasol Las Setas, the mushrooms. Wikipedia describes a large, mostly wooden structure on La Encarnación square, in Seville's old quarter, made of six parasols that loosely resemble mushrooms. Its design drew on the vaults of Seville Cathedral and on the ficus trees of the nearby Plaza de Cristo de Burgos.
Beneath the parasols, an underground level holds a museum called the Antiquarium, where Roman and Moorish remains unearthed during the works are displayed. Wikipedia says a market building stood in the square from the 19th century, and that the ruins turned up when the city planned a new market with underground parking.
The tablao sits on the ground floor of the structure, at the level of the square. Its own site calls it a modern singing café and says it opened in February 2023, with the Sevillian dancer Sandra Guerrero "La Negra" as artistic director.
The venue says its signature cocktails are built on sherry wines, among them Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez. One cocktail comes with the General ticket, while Premium and VIP bring central seats and tapas.
From the door to the last beat
The hour has no interval. What happens before and after it depends on how early you arrive.
The venue says doors open fifteen minutes before each show and that the bar serves before and after the performance. Use the door at the level of the square, not the stairs up the structure. Your ticket is on your phone.
The ticket page names styles running from seguiriya to bulerías. The venue describes a shape of festive palos first, deeper cante in the middle and bulerías to finish. Take that as a guide, not a promise for any night.
Once the last beat is done you are standing in Plaza de la Encarnación, with the lit parasols overhead. The cathedral and the old streets of the centre lie a short walk away.
Flamenco words, one at a time
Every piece is built on a palo: a named style, with a rhythm and a temper of its own. The venue names the first five when it describes its show; the sixth is the footwork you will hear in all of them.
The name means joys. Wikipedia places its origin in Cádiz and gives it a twelve-beat cycle, played lively. A traditional dance in alegrías moves through set sections, from an entrance to a closing in bulerías.
Its early development is placed between Cádiz and Seville by the Instituto Andaluz del Flamenco, as Wikipedia reports, and the same source insists that it is distinct from Argentine tango. Tangos can be sung, played or danced.
Counted by Wikipedia as one of the most basic palos, it probably arose with the Calé Romani, in Cádiz or in Seville. It usually has one guitar and a solemn air, and its lyrics often carry a feeling of intimate pain.
Siguiriyas, Wikipedia says, belong to cante jondo, the deep song, and are purely Romani in origin. The words turn to tragic subjects: imprisonment, the death of someone close, love and religious ideas.
Wikipedia ranks it high for popularity and drama, and adds that it frequently ends a gathering. It grew up among the Calé Romani of nineteenth-century Jerez and leaves the most room for improvisation.
The word means a tap of the foot. The venue says its room uses no electronic amplification, so the heels, the guitar and the singing arrive just as they are made.
The artists settle the programme themselves on the night. Treat these as vocabulary, not as a set list.
Ticket options
| Ticket | What it adds | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| General | The one-hour show and a cocktail. | Anyone for whom the music is the point |
| Premium | Central seats and tapas on top of the show. | Couples and anyone who likes to sit in the middle |
| VIP | The top option, also with central seats and tapas. The calendar shows what it adds over Premium on your date. | A celebration, or the best seat on offer |
| Bar extras | Drinks and Iberian tapas bought from the bar, before or after the show. | Anyone who wants more than the ticket lists |
See dates, plus the Premium and VIP seats, on the same booking page ↗
Before you pick
Six things to settle before you commit to an evening.
One hour of live flamenco at Tablao Flamenco Las Setas, under the Metropol Parasol. The tablao is itself the provider of the ticket.
The show and a cocktail. The venue builds its cocktails on sherry wines.
Central seats and tapas on top of the show. Check the option on your chosen date for exactly what it carries.
Anything beyond what your ticket lists is a separate purchase at the bar. A cheap ticket is not a dinner.
Wheelchair access is listed for the ticket. The venue says the room is on the ground floor with a ramp and an adapted toilet, and wants to hear about any special requirement at the time of booking.
Cancelling at least 24 hours ahead returns the fare in full, and booking now without paying today is possible.
The structure, the square and the old city
The Metropol Parasol at night, a Roman oil lamp from the Antiquarium beneath it, Seville Cathedral and the Giralda lit up. The singer in the main photograph was photographed at a flamenco performance elsewhere. It shows the music, not this venue.
Choose a night
The first card is the show this guide covers, under the Metropol Parasol. The second is a separate flamenco show in another corner of central Seville.
Sixty minutes of live flamenco beneath the Metropol Parasol; the General ticket adds a sherry cocktail.
One hour in a small room with tables and chairs. Options run from a drink, to a cocktail with a tapa and preferred seating, to dinner.
Elsewhere in Seville
Practical notes
Plaza de la Encarnación 38, 41003 Seville, on the ground floor of the Metropol Parasol. Any map app finds it from that address.
Do not climb the stairs up the structure. The venue says its entrance is at the level of the square, beside the Mercado de la Encarnación, under an illuminated Tablao Flamenco Las Setas sign.
The venue calls the area pedestrian and well connected, and puts the tablao within a short walk of the cathedral. A taxi driver needs only the words Las Setas, Plaza de la Encarnación.
Doors open fifteen minutes before each show. The venue lets nobody in once a show has started and does not refund late arrivals, so allow some slack.
The bar serves before and after the show and stops during it. Have your drink ready before the start; a full dinner is a separate booking elsewhere.
The venue allows photos and video without flash and sets no dress code. Look at your confirmation for the start time on your date.
More on Las Setas and flamenco
FAQ
One hour, and the venue says it runs without an interval. The calendar shows the start time beside each date.
On Plaza de la Encarnación, at the foot of the Metropol Parasol. The entrance is at street level, not up the stairs.
The General ticket includes a cocktail. Premium and VIP add central seats and tapas; the calendar shows what your option carries.
No. The ticket is for the show, with a cocktail or tapas depending on the option. Anything more is bought at the bar.
The venue says nobody enters once the show has started, and late arrivals are not refunded. Aim to arrive when the doors open.
Yes, the ticket is wheelchair accessible. The venue says the room is on the ground floor, with a ramp and an adapted toilet.
The venue allows photos and video without flash. Watch the show first and photograph the room afterwards.
Yes. Cancel a day or more before the show and the fare comes back in full; you may also book now and pay later. Those terms belong to the GetYourGuide ticket.
Fares are shown in the currency you choose, after you pick a date.