Visitors from Alhaurin de la Torres, Spain, took a tour of New Iberia City Hall early Friday. 

A delegation from New Iberia’s sister city Alhuarin de la Torre, Spain, is in town this week for the celebration of New Iberia’s Spanish Festival, El Festival Espanol de Nueva Iberia.

Mayor Joaquín Villanova and more than a dozen tourists took a tour to see some of downtown New Iberia’s highlights Friday morning in preparation for the festival.

DeCourt even got a round of applause when he explained the recently purchased street signs that have Spanish, English and French designations for each street.

New Iberia’s Spanish Festival is put on annually and regularly sees support from New Iberia’s sister city for the occasion.

The festival opened Friday with carnival rides, an arts and crafts show and an opening ceremony for the three-day event.

The event kicks into full gear Saturday with the Running of the Bulls races, a paella and tapas cookoff and even a parade honoring the founding Spanish families. Workshops, music and even a Thanksgiving Mass Sunday morning will continue the celebrations through the weekend.

The parade and festival celebrates the Spanish roots of New Iberia. Although New Iberia is a Cajun French hub along with the rest of Acadiana, the city has a unique Spanish history thanks to its founding by Francisco Bouligny and the Romeros, Migues’ and other Spanish settlers with familiar last names.