Bullfight tickets in Sevilla

[AussieJan]

Just wondering if any past pilgrims have been able to get tickets for a bullfight in Seville? I know it's controversial and I would most likely loathe the actual killing of the bull, however I think I'd like to experience the spectacle firsthand just once in my lifetime. Any advice as to how best to get a seat - cheaply - by preference? Thought there might be somewhere to get last minute seats...

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I would most likely loathe the actual killing of the bull

They torture bull for a while so that it will lower its head for the kill. That is why it has all those giant metal decorated toothpicks hanging from its shoulders before it is killed. The kill is just the end of the process before they cut off ears and tail and drag it out of the arena by its rear legs.

 

[tyrrek]

Hi. Are you sure there's a fight on while you're there? You may just be able to get a ticket on the day if it's not a major fiesta.

If there isn't a fight on, there used to be a tour of the bullring in Seville (I don't know if it still happens) where they take you around and explain aspects of it.

A less bloody alternative would be to see if there was a training school somewhere open to the public, where you could see them going through their paces.

Buen Camino!

 

[Luka]

I agree with falcon, the actual killing is the moment the bull is freed from its torture.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola - without expressing an opinion about the cruelty of the sport ( ) I understand there are two classes of tickets - Sol y Sombra. The cheapest being tickets in the sun and the more expensive in the shade. Either your hotel or the tourist office down from the cathedral in Sevilla will advise.

 

[newfydog]

You can see them on TV if you are curious about bullfights. Paying for a ticket just supports a cruel sport.

 

[Canuck]

You can see them on TV

And enjoy seeing the bull win once in a while and the dude in pink tights take a licking. :mrgreen:

 

[tyrrek]

And enjoy seeing the bull win once in a while and the dude in pink tights take a licking. :mrgreen:

One of the most memorable parts of the bullring tour in Seville is the medical room where injured bullfighters are taken. My parents are medical folk and were with me. They were impressed by the equipment in such a small room, where you could just about raise Lazarus. The same equipment is not available to the bull, or so I believe.

It's a strange thing really. It's already been described as a 'sport' on this thread, but others consider it an 'art' or more generally 'culture'. It's as likely to be reported alongside theatre in the newspaper as alongside football.

I don't fully understand it so I don't have strong opinions either way. Buen Camino!

 

[AussieJan]

OK, I knew it was asking for trouble when I posted this question, but thanks to everyone who has contributed. I am in Sevilla during the Ferea festival and there are apparently bullfights every evening. Who knows - might just settle for seeing some flamenco instead!

 

[tyrrek]

Ha ha! AussieJan, I think we've been quite restrained in our responses! It certainly is a spectacle, but I just felt like an outsider looking in when I went (in Valencia). It's one of these things that you probably won't come away from saying 'I thoroughly enjoyed that'.

Buen Camino!

p.s. If it's the big fiesta it will probably be on TV in many bars.

 

[Cejanus]

Barbaric and not a sport or artistic in any sense. As barbaric as the treatment of Australian cattle in Indonesia.
What on earth does a visit to a bullfight have to do with a Camino?

 

[tyrrek]

Barbaric and not a sport or artistic in any sense. As barbaric as the treatment of Australian cattle in Indonesia.
What on earth does a visit to a bullfight have to do with a Camino?

It's relevant in that someone is looking to explore the 'culture' of the places they pass through. Whether we like it or not it does exist. The only sense I can make of bullfighting is that it represents mankind's struggle to fight and control the sometimes fierce forces of nature. Nature should be treated with respect, though, and when a bull isn't dispatched 'well' there is an outcry in the crowd. It's an unusual way of going about it, I agree. Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

More culture here, and with a bit of karma:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... tival.html

 

[alansykes]

Tickets for a novillada (young bulls and unqualified matadors, usually without picadors) can be had for as little as €7 for restricted view way back in the Maestranza (front row for a major corrida with a famous matador is up to €155, and probably more in somewhere like Salamanca). Online booking is here (you have to register for an account): http://www.lamaestranza.es/encargo_acceso.asp

I was a bit startled, in a bar somewhere north of Fuenterroble, to see what I assume was a cable channel that seemed to be entirely devoted to bullfighting. The highlights tended to include lots of clips of matadors getting gored, and one of a bull that managed to jump the barrier and squash several people in the front row.

 

[devenney1]

It is disgusting and I will not insult sport by calling it sport. Anyone that can do that to an animal for pleasure or watch it for pleasure are seriously warped. Lets call a spade a spade and stop pussyfooting. We cry about fox hunting, badger baiting, cock fighting etc. yet this crime goes on in full view and we say little. Please do not buy tickets for these events but strive for someday we get them banned.

 

[Tincatinker]

In the UK we poison Foxes, shoot Badgers and most Cockerels are gassed shortly after hatching having no value to the egg or chicken flesh industries. I suspect much the same occurs in Spain though perhaps with more shooting and fewer lethal chemicals.

The Corrida is a deeply imbedded part of Spanish culture. It is bloody, brutal and profound but I cannot agree that it is disgusting. If it offends you do not participate.

 

[tyrrek]

It is disgusting and I will not insult sport by calling it sport. Anyone that can do that to an animal for pleasure or watch it for pleasure are seriously warped. Lets call a spade a spade and stop pussyfooting. We cry about fox hunting, badger baiting, cock fighting etc. yet this crime goes on in full view and we say little. Please do not buy tickets for these events but strive for someday we get them banned.

Yes, it's a difficult question, but I wouldn't call it pussyfooting.

As I've said it's not really considered a sport as such. In which other sport would one of the main participants go out on the field wearing tights and sequins? Nor are people sitting around laughing at or mocking the bull's death. It's a matter of serious concern. It's a cultural thing spanning centuries, and in my interpretation currently offers a link for many city people to their (relatively recent) rural ancestry. Having seen it in person and on TV in Spain I'd rather see it in a bar where you can hear the views of people around you and it gives a certain insight into how it's viewed generally or as a spectacle.

Buen Camino!

 

[William Marques]

I am locking this thread before anyone else says anything derogatory about our member. Bullfighting is a topic that probably should not be raised here due to the strong opinions that many have about it.