Bullfight Tickets
As you will read further
down in this section, bullfight tickets are very difficult to get hold of
during the fiesta. The
We do mention the other
possible ways of getting tickets further down in this section so the choice is
up to you. You just have to remember that you will be paying prices that bear
no resemblance to the printed price on the ticket wherever you get your ticket
from ourselves or from the scalpers.
The Bullfights At
The bullfight during the
In short, the bullfight in
For many people, the start
of the bullfights is the start of the day. (The bullfights start at 6.30 in the
afternoon!)
Sun & Shade
In most Bullrings there are
marked differences between the seating in the shade and the seating under the
hot sun. A different way of viewing the spectacle and not
only in the physical sense. This difference is particularly true of the
Here, you can watch the
bulls in peace without suffering any distractions. The real fans of the
bullfights are found in these seats. Make sure you arrive on time- before 6.30
when the first fight starts. Once the bull is in the ring, it is not permitted
to allow late-arrivals to take their seats until that bull is killed. It is
also a good idea to hire out a cushion to sit on. You can find them at some
small stalls inside the stadium.
The only problem is the
limited number of tickets. So, even if you have no interest in bullfighting and
even have some moral objections to it, you can safely sit in the sun section
among all the madness on this side and scarcely be aware that there is a
bullfight going on.
However there is a degree of
flexibility with the tickets if you have a ticket for the shade (the more
expensive tickets) you can generally blag your way into the sun section. It
does not work the other way round.
What is a bull-fight?
The very first movement is
when two horsemen, in all their plumed finery, suddenly burst into the middle
of the ring at a gallop. They turn aside in opposite directions and gallop
round the arena on each side.
Then comes the parade of the
bull-fighters and their entourage, and all the other people who will have some
part to play in the event such as the "picadores"
on their horses and carrying their lance, the "banderilleros"
who are dressed like the bull-fighters but whose function is to run at the
bulls and stick darts into their backs as a warm up to the bullfight. (Although
I always reckon this to be one of the best bits of the bullfight especially if
one of the bullfights has a go himself) There are others similarly dressed- the
"Peones" - but whose function is simply to
play with the bull with their coloured capes so that the bull-fighter can watch
the way that the bull charges and turns with his horns. The "Mulillas" also take part in the parade and these are
the men and horses which will drag the body of the dead bull from the ring.
After the bullfighters
salute the president of the ring, permission is given for the bull-fight to
begin. There are three bull-fighters and two bulls for each one. The order is
fixed: the first bull-fighter fights the first and fourth bull, the second one
will fight the second and fifth, the third will fight the third and sixth bull.
Each bull-fight has three
standard movements, called "tercios"
The first "tercio" takes place as soon as the bull is released
into the ring. The "peones" tempt the bull
with their capes so that the quality of the bull charges can be accessed. They
will lead him over different sections of the ring so that his reactions can be
carefully noted by the bull-fighter. Then the "Picador" appears with
his horse and lance. He will pierce the back of the bull with his steel lance
to weaken it and to tame some of it’s power and
energy. This is known as making a "puya"
and is not popular with the crowd as they don't want the animal to be made too
weak. However, the bull-fighter does want him to be weakened.
The bull-fighter then plays
with the bull with a yellow cape to learn more about the way it charges and
turns. The second "tercio" begins when the
"banderilleros" take up their running
position with a dart in each hand and they must run at the bull and stick the
large darts, with a small steel hook at the end, into the back of the bull.
There are usually three of these guys who act in quick succession making a
total of six darts in all.
The third "tercio" is when the bull-fighter uses his red and
yellow cape held by a sword. He carries out several different movements where
he tries to dominate the bull. When the bull is sufficiently tired, he changes
the sword for a curved steel one and with this sword he will give the final
"estocada" where he must bury the sword in
a small area of the animal's back to kill him.
Once the bull is dead, the
president of the arena decides if he will concede any award to the
bull-fighter. If he has done everything well, the public acclaim him and appeal
for an award (This could be one ear, two ears, two ears and the tail, depending
on how well he has done everything). This all continues for six bulls in total.
After the third bull the crowd get out their food and make a picnic of it all.
How to get tickets
Trying to get tickets for
the daily bullfights is a continuous headache, not only for the foreigners, but
also for the local people. The following information will maybe help you.
THE LAYOUT OF THE BULLRING
The Bullring is divided into
three tiers. There is the "Tendido" which
is the section closest to the arena, There is the
"Grada" or Terrace, which is the middle
section, and there is the "Andanada", which
is the upper section. Each of these three tiers rings round the whole stadium
which is further divided into a "sun" half and a "shade"
half.
OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTION OF
TICKETS
Most of the seats in the
bullring belong to members who pay an annual fee and who automatically receive
their tickets each year to cover the all the days of bullfights. This
membership is automatically renewed each year and most of them pass from father
to son so that even for the local people there is a waiting-list that
practically only opens on the death of a member. "The Peñas"
also have lifelong membership which allows them to receive tickets in bulk so
that, for example, the seating that they occupy on the sunny side of the ring
is totally booked out by them each year. Only 10% of the total tickets are
officially on sale - and this happens only because they are legally required to
do so. This 10% of tickets are sold the day before each bullfight at special
box offices just in front of the bullring and which open in the evening.
So, in theory, if you are
prepared to queue up, you can get tickets in this way. In fact, what tends to
happen is, the black marketeers tend to completely
control the queue to a huge extent and your chances of actually getting a
ticket are very small indeed and even then you will have wasted 5 hours in the
queue. The touts and scalpers take up position hours before the box-office
opens and buy up a large portion of these entrance tickets so that they can
resell them at a higher price.
The reality is that someone,
after spending a lot of time queuing up, can find that the sold-out sign is put
up before he even gets to the window.
Buying From The Ticket Touts and Scalpers
This is a very dangerous
option unless you really know what you are doing. Speaking Spanish is a must.
You must what out for the pickpockets that surround the scalpers with the
intention of checking out your wallet and following you to a crowded bar. There
are also a large number of fake tickets around which the scalper will quickly
unload and then disappear with your cash. But the most important thing is that
buying from the ticket touts is illegal. Not only do the police watch out for
them, but the scalpers use this fact to make off with your cash. They time it
so the police appear just as they have taken your cash and are off on their
toes with your money without you getting any tickets and there is no way you
can complain to the police.
Going To The
Bullfights
The
The actions of the Penas make the bullfights in
And despite the constant
flow of alcoholic beverages, all is done in good-natured fun so that, in spite
of the noise of whistles and brass-bands a certain kind of "peace"
reigns among the total pandemonium. You
have to see it to believe it. It is especially moving on the 14th, the end of
the fiesta, when everybody refuses to leave the bullring until they have had a
good dance.
Once you have succeeded in
getting a ticket remember to arrive in good time to take your seat. You should
try to get there by six o`clock. If you are late you
may find that someone has occupied your seat and it may be difficult to move
them. Arriving at the last moment could mean that you are confronted with a
packed crowd that makes it physically impossible for you to reach your seat.
You might be left standing at the back with little or no comfort.
The bullfights are usually
hot and dirty, especially in the sun with the Penas.
So come well prepared. Take a hat - the July sun can sometimes fry your scalp.
Sunglasses might be a good idea too. The "Peñas"
will be wearing their distinctive-coloured smocks so that, should any kind of
"flour fights" start, they don´t worry
about getting dirtied. It is best to wear some old clothes, or, if you value
your clothes, bring a towel or a plastic
poncho (they sell these outside the ring thing to protect you from any
"flying objects" which may be thrown in good-natured fun, but which
will leave a dirty stain should they find their target. Many of the Penas are in fancy dress and wear crazy costumes and it all
adds to the fun.
It is also a good plan to
take some newspaper as the seating gets wet from all the booze that is thrown.
If you do take a camera make sure you have a plastic bag to wrap it in to
protect it from all the wine etc that will be thrown.
Eating and Drinking at the
bullring is one of the most attractive aspects (Some would say the most
attractive) of the whole show. The drinking usually commences pretty early on.
More likely than not the fierce heat of the afternoon sun will be beating
mercilessly down on the sunny side of the ring. Sangria tends to be the most
popular drink, which, funnily enough, is hardly ever drunk in
The lunchboxes can hold
anything from a breadroll sandwich to a full three
course meal depending on the taste of each person. Some people even bring
coffee and liqueurs to finish off their meal in style. (So you can understand
why some people don´t tend to return to their seats
to watch the remainder of the bullfight.)
On the way to the bullring
you will see all kinds of people proudly bearing all kinds of opulent
lunchboxes. For many people this will be their main meal of the day.
So, remember to take some
food and booze with you to the bullfight. There is usually an opulent amount of
sharing out of food going on with the people round you, be they friends or
strangers. This eating and drinking tends to build up to a climax all through
the second part of the bullfight and the spirits of the spectators rise
correspondingly. There is no point in taking home leftovers so these leftovers
often start getting flung round in all directions as some people seem to feel a
need to "practise" their throwing skills.
When the last bull has been
killed and dragged from the ring, the "Peñas"
and a large part of the crowd pile down into the ring and gather in disordered
groups under the different banners ready to flow out through the main gate
behind their raucous brass bands. And the bullfight is over for another night.
It is truly an amazing
experience to go to a bullfight in
(Article About The
bullfights from The No Bullshit
“A really brave fighting bull is afraid of nothing on earth…and,
to me, is the
finest of all animals to watch in action and
repose.”—Ernest Hemingway
The bulls you will see in
the encierros and corridas
in
The psychology of the bulls
is very interesting. Firstly, brave bulls fear nothing, and when they become
angry, they will charge again and again until they have killed whatever angers
them. Fighting bulls have been to known to charge cars and even trains! Also
they are extremely intelligent animals who learn very quickly. To give you an example,
if a bullfight, for whatever reason, goes on ten minutes longer than it should,
the bull will have learned so much that he may be virtually unable to kill. The
bulls are fought at 4 years old. At 3 years old, they do not have enough
experience with their horns and would not be able to cope with the punishment
they would receive in the ring. At 5 years old, they know how to use their
horns far too well and are already too dangerous to be used for bullfights.
El Apartado
is the sorting of the bulls into separate pens subsequent to the drawing of
lots to decide which matadors will face which bulls. This fascinating event
takes place at 1 p.m. each day at the back of the bullring in the Plaza de Caballos (
Pamplona’s aristocracy, and
the cuadrilla of each matador, who go to inspect
their
respective
bulls and see what kind of animals they will face that day. Matadors do
not
attend the Apartado. Tickets for all the apartados usually go on sale on the 6th at 10 a.m. till 1
p.m., and then at 10 a.m. each day for that day’s apartado.
You should check the official program or at the tourist office for details.
Each of those Corridas in
Each fight consists of three
acts. The first is when we see the picador. The matador comes into the ring
first to place the bull so that it sees the mounted picador. This is the test
of the bull’s bravery and it is very important for the matador to see what type
of bull he must kill. If the bull is brave, it will charge immediately. A bull
that hesitates to charge or needs to be provoked is probably not a brave one.
The picador should place his pick in the hump of muscle between the bull’s
shoulders in an area smaller than the palm of your hand. The banderillas and the sword that kills the bull should also
be placed here. The real test of bravery is whether or not the bull continues
to drive his horns into the horse ignoring the pick, or if he twists himself to
the left or right trying to avoid the pick. The matador learns a great deal
about the bull in the first act, i.e. which horn he favours and whether he is
brave. A bull that is not brave presents some problems for the matador as he
can never be sure when or how the bull will charge.
In the second act, usually
three (but sometimes 2 or 4) pairs of banderillas are
placed in the bull’s hump of muscle, either by the banderilleros
or the matador, who will work otherwise unarmed. The banderillas
are traditionally used to sober up the bull somewhat, slow him down in his
anger. This serves to make him far more dangerous, as now, instead of charging
furiously at everything, he will aim every stroke of his horns to kill. The
skill lies in placing the banderillas in the right
place and in keeping the body straight and arms high, which will bring them
into much closer contact with the bull and greater danger.
The third act is the
preparation for and killing of the bull. The matador enters the ring with his muleta (a small cape attached to a stick) and sword.
Firstly, he must tire the bull which he does by executing several different
passes. Then, in order to kill, he must place the bull with his forelegs
together, opening the shoulder blades so that the sword can enter, then run in
lightly and quickly and kill the bull with one deft, clean stroke. The matador
should lean in with a straight body over the horns of the bull when placing the
sword, while controlling his eye with the flickering corner of the muleta. If the matador fails to control his eye, the bull
may raise his head, and this is his chance to catch the man.
If a matador has fought
particularly well, he will be awarded an ear of his adversary by the president
of the corrida. A second ear may be awarded to him
according to the show of white handkerchiefs by the spectators, which indicate
that they thought that he fought very well. A matador who fights badly in
The Novillada
is held on the 6th of July. Three young, and up and coming matadors will each
face two 3-years-old bulls. This can be particularly interesting if you are a
stranger to bullfights.
LAS PEÑAS
The atmosphere in the Plaza
de Toros in