Bullfighting is not very popular in Barcelona. The Barcelona regional government banned bullfighting in 2004 but the decision was overturned.
Last bullfight in Barcelona on Sunday 25th of September 2011.
28 of July 2010 Bullfight to end in Barcelona with region’s parliament to vote its ban,
with the ruling coming into force on January 1, 2012.
There have been three bullrings in Barcelona – Plaza del Torin which was built in 1834, but no longer exists; Plaza de las Arenas, which was built in 1900 but is no longer in use, huge renovation of this bullring to create a mall on the Plaza España; and the present bullring, the Plaza de Toros Monumental, built in 1914.
The Plaza de Toros Monumental is on the corner of Gran Via de los Cortes Catalanes and Carrer de la Marina, about ten minutes walk from La Sagrada Familia.
There are two ticket offices:
- Calle Muntaner, 24 – Tel 93 453 38 21 Fax 93 451 69 98
- Plaza de Toros – Tel 93 245 58 02 Fax 93 232 71 58
Bullfighting is the most traditional of Spanish Fiestas. The Spanish people consider them art forms which are intimately linked with their country’s history, art and culture.
Bullfighting can be traced back to ancient days. They were popular spectacles in ancient Rome, but it was in the Iberian Peninsula that these contests were fully developed by the Moors from North Africa who overran Andalucia in AD 711. The conquering Moors, mounted on highly trained horses, confronted and killed the bulls.
Today bullfighting is big business in Spain with the top matadores earning comparable salaries to the nation’s top soccer stars and rock idols. You can watch bullfights very often on spanish TV.
Spanish-style bullfighting is called corrida de toros (literally “race of bulls”) or la fiesta (“the festival”). In a traditional corrida, three matadores (“killers”), each fight two bulls, each of which is between four and six years old and weighs no less than 460 kg.Each matador has six assistants — two picadores (“lancers”) mounted on horseback, three banderilleros (“flagmen”) – who along with the matadors are collectively known as toreros (“bullfighters”) – and a mozo de espada (“sword page”). Collectively they comprise a cuadrilla (“entourage”).
Bullfight costume
A bullfighting costume mostly consists of a silk jacket, heavily embroidered in gold, skintight pants, and a montera (a bicome hat). The best fabrics are used to make a bullfighting costume so that a matador would feel comfortable and look outstanding. The bullfighting costume price can be up to thousands of dollars and a famous matador must have at least six of them for a season. The most famous matadors buy their bullfighting costumes from top designers, which are made to an exclusive and personal order. Modern matadors can be quite extravagant in their choice; they can wear pink socks, a white shirt and a red tie, and a large purple or yellow cape. Earlier, bullfighting costumes were also made to an order and each one possessed unique and unrepeatable features, distinguishing one from another.
For instance, Romero, a legend of Spanish bullfighting, became so famous that Spain’s greatest living artist, Goya, designed a distinctive uniform for him. This bullfighting costume is still worn in special commemorative corridas and the annual corrida goyesca in Ronda, held in early September, which comprises a competition for the most decorative horse-drawn carriages and a flamenco festival.
El Cordobès is a very famous bullfighter known for the original way he dared bullfighting.
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