Bull fighting in Spain

The best known form of bull fighting is the Spanish bull fighting which is essentially a physical contest between man and bull, and with the dice loaded in favour of man, in my view. Bull fighting can be viewed in parts of Europe, Latin America and Mexico. On a trip to Spain, I decided to be part of this age old tradition in Madrid. 

Bull fighting vs bull run

The bull fighting season generally runs from March to September/October. Bull fighting needs to be contrasted with Bull runs, the most famous of which is the  Pamplona Bull Run. Bull fighting is held happens in several cities in Spain, mainly on Sundays but during festivals, it can happen daily for the duration of the festival. 

Bull fighting arena in Madrid

The bull fighting arena is called Plaza De Toros. The one in Madrid is a very impressive building called Las Ventas which accommodates about 24k people.   Built in 1929, it is rated to be the best bullring in the world. Easily accessible by Metro.

What happens during the bull fight

The entire bull fight has 3 stages, in all lasting about 20 minutes.

First stage

In the first stage, the Matador taunts the bull with a red/pink colored cape. The idea is to tire the bull though at times, the Matador can get hit if he is not watchful. 

I also learnt that it is not the colour, but the sudden movements by the matador that drives the bull. In fact, bulls are believed to be colour blind to red colour!

Second stage

In the second stage, the bull fighter(called Picador)  mounted on a horse, pierces the bull with a Pike, a kind of spear. The process is continued with bullfighters on their feet piercing the bull with 3 little harpoons. Sometimes, the Matador himself takes part in this stage. The horses are covered with armour and blind folded. 

The last stage

The last stage, the Matador again taunts the bull with the Muleta, a red colored cloth wrapped over a wooden stick. After a few minutes, the Matador kills the bull with a sword. It is possible the bull may still be alive at this stage. But once the bull falls, a short knife is pierced between bull’s eyes to put it out of misery, forever.

It gets gory from second stage

From the second stage onwards, the bulls start to bleed. It can get pretty gory towards the end, with lot of blood dripping on the ground. The bulls continue to fight despite being severely injured. It was quite a sight to watch a bull’s legs suddenly give way. He tried valiantly to get up a couple of times but failed. Eventually, the short knife put him out of misery.

The bull’s dead body is carted out by horses. But it is also possible that a Matador is unable to kill the bull. In such cases, the bull is often pardoned and driven out of the ring by bullocks. 

The ‘President’ position is very interesting. He is the final authority on the bullring and uses various colored shawls to convey his order. He sits in a box a bit higher up in the arena. I was lucky to be seated below to the right and could easily watch the usage of colored shawls. 

 With about 6 rounds, the entire event lasts 2 to 2.5 hours. I watched 5 rounds, with 4 rounds resulting in death of the bulls. Thereafter, I started feeling a bit nauseous and decided to leave the arena. Could not bear to watch more. 

Where to buy tickets

I purchased the ticket online and exchanged e-Ticket confirmation for physical ticket at the designated office once I arrived in Madrid. Depending on how many days you are in Spain, you can also buy it locally once you arrive but given the popularity of bull fights, you may not get the seats you want, especially during popular festivals. There is also an option to have the tickets delivered to your hotel in central Madrid. 

Which seats to choose

The entire arena is divided into 3 broad sections – in Sun(Sol), in shade(Sombra) and in Sun and Shade(Sol y Sombra). The seats in Sombra are most expensive, followed by Sol Y Sombra and Sol. Also, there are 3 levels, the lowest level which is the first row(VIP Category) being the most expensive with the prices dropping as you move up the rows, to Category 1 and then Category 2. The cheapest tickets are at the top. A seat in sun and furthest from the ring would be the cheapest. 

There are also 2 decks at the top, beyond category 2. I did not see any option to buy tickets for these 2 decks online. Possibly it is only available at the venue or meant for larger groups.

Choose a seat in shade

In Madrid, since there is light until after 8PM and can get fairly hot in the evenings, it maybe best to buy a seat in the shade and at least in the mid level or lower so as to have a good view at a reasonable cost. But if you can stand the heat, and carry good binoculars, you can buy any seat!

There are no chairs fixed on the concrete steps like one would find in a sports stadium.  Spectators sit on concrete steps but cushions are provided in certain sections-the higher priced sections. For the rest, cushions can be rented for about 1 Euro.

How much does it cost

Ticket prices vary depending upon the seat location and type of bullfight(Novillada/Corrida de Toros/Rejones).  Novillada is cheaper. The cheapest ticket can be purchased for less than Euros 10 and goes all the way to ~Euros 200. For category 1(mid level) in Sombra, be prepared to shell out Euros 60 to 110 per seat. For this price, you can also get a seat in the VIP category in Sol!

Other activities

The arena has a full fledged bar. May patrons come early to soak in the atmosphere, have a drink and then move in to watch the bull fight. May not be a bad idea considering the bloody scenes one witnesses!

There is also a bullfighting museum inside the building. You can also get a virtual feel of what is feels like being a bull fighter(it is a game).

Conclusion

All in all, I think bull fighting is worth watching once. And without kids. I did not see any kids around in the arena but am not sure if it is legally impermissible for non-adults to watch bull fight. Also, If you are the kind who cannot stand the site of blood oozing out of a bull, buy a ticket in the top rows of the arena or avoid altogether.