OK. Ok. It seems like some sort of bad stereotype or assumption that bullfights are a must see in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. Nevertheless, it seems like it is (or was?) an important part of the culture. As a result, a friend (who is knowledgable about Spain having studied there and traveled there a number of times) has suggested we really should go to a bullfight. Two questions:

1) Do Spainiards go to bullfights or are they considered "touristy" by locals?

2) I will be in Spain in mid-late-September (17-25). Is there any way to get tickets or at the very least find out when there will be fights in the country at that time?

Thank you in advance for your replies...SMOMANTEO

Our Spanish members are probably the best to answer your above questions but I'll put forth my impressions.

First, yes, the bullfights in Spain are really not such a big part of the culture as it is part of its history and economy. Bullfights draw MANY tourists from all over the world and with bullfights come hotels, restaurants, bars and other things. It's also something that makes Spain different in a time when every country is trying to distinguish themselves from other countries in any way they can and Spain has bullfights. Bullfights ARE an inescapable part of Spain's everyday life as the image of the bull is everywhere in marketing all kinds of products in Spain.

Still, I think the vast majority of all those attending any given bullfights ARE Spaniards, locals. I personally know two men in Madrid - one in his 40s (who owns/works a Frutería) and one in his 60s who is one of the hostel owners. They both go regularly to the bullfights with friends. I know another woman, an American from California, who lived in Madrid for 25 years and she went to nearly EVERY bullfight. She was a BIG fan and she accompanied me to my first and only bullfight in 1995 - my first trip to Spain. She was a verifiable, certifiable "aficionada" and even dated one of the toreros for a number of years.

You'll be in Spain over a Sunday (September 19th) and if you're in Madrid or in the lower half of Spain there's a good chance you'll have access to a bullfight. Bullfights are rarer - fewer and farther between - in the northern regions. There will be bullfights in Spain until near the end of October.

If you've ever done any hunting, fishing, or don't mind this kind of thing (i.e. lots of blood, a saber between the shoulder blades to the bull's heart, watching a large animal drop dead in front of you and being dragged out by horses, etcetera) then you might want to consider if to see what it's all about. It's kind of like criticizing a movie without even seeing it. Go to the bullfight and watch the first TWO "KILLS". If each following KILL continues to bother you (and the first KILL probably will as it did me - made me a bit nautious) then just leave and then you can say you saw a bullfight.

Enjoy your visit to Spain. Saludos, MadridMan

Sound advice. I like the comparison between hunting and the fighting. I hunted a bit when I was a teenager and in my early 20s, so I think I'll give it a try.

I appreciate it. Thanks. SMOMANTEO

I would just like to add that one of the reasons a lot of tourists get totally "turned off" after watching their first bullfight is because they come totally unprepared and therefore lack the understanding of the nuances of this tradition. I would concur with MadridMan that one of the best ways to watch one is with a person who is a kind of bullfight "afficionado" who would be able to explain to you what is going on. One thing I would also suggest is to read Hemingway's book "Death in the Afternoon". A fantastic read and although it's supposed to be a novel, it contains a plethora of facts and information about bullfighting. Some of the matadors he mentions are somewhat dated but most of what he relates still apply to bullfighting as practiced today. It's something that would make good reading on that long plane ride to Spain and that would get you in the mood for your vacation in Spain.

I'm ALWAYS in the mood for a vacation to Spain!

About a week ago I also attended, as a tourist, my first bullfight. We were near Malaga and there were several bullrings with fights in the area. Fights normally start about 7 pm on Sundays. We chose to go to the bullring in Mijas, which is one of the oldest and smallest bullrings. Being small means everybody sits close to the action and one can even see the expression on the matador's face. At least half the people were locals. They were sitting around outside the bullring and socialise for quite some time before the fight. The place was only about 2/3 full so there is no need to buy tickets before the time.

I think it is worthwhile seeing once, especially if you do a bit of homework on this tradition before the time.

I have been extremely fortunate in having several toreros as close friends (one was my best man at my wedding, two more attended), picadors, banderilleros and matadors, and am often taken to fights by my banderillero friend, (last Sunday I had the honor of assisting him in the ring!).

When I first arrived, I was very ambivalent about the art (is is an ART, NOT a sport!), and thought, "The bull always goes for the cape, never for the man, etc." However, after seeing many "cornadas," holes and scars on my friend's torso, legs and arms, (some big enough and deep enough to stick your index finger into), and seeing even famous matadors like El Juli get seriously hurt, I revised my opinion.

The bull almost always dies, yes. But more often than most people realize, the professionals in the ring get gored, stomped, ripped up, knocked and thrown about, bones broken, tender parts speared, etc. It is a VERY dangerous profession, and anyone knowing anything about it gives great respect to these (rather crazy) people.

A really good fight is rather rare, one might go for many years without seeing one, maybe decades. Even in hallowed Las Ventas one often sees terrible bungling: picadors overly damaging the bull (often), matadors bouncing swords off bulls, botched coup de grace, killing a downed, but tenaciously alive bull by severing its spinal cord at the base of its skull with a knife. Nevertheless, a good corrida is breathtaking to watch, as each participant fulfills his part in the action. A remnant of the gladitorial games of Rome, and deeply rooted in the Mirthic tradition, which goes back to prehistory, it is a living ritual, a history lesson, and, yes, an art.

One of the best books written on the subject (180 pages of a small paperback) is by A. L. Kennedy, titled "On Bullfighting," Yellow Jersey Press (Random House), London, 1999. ISBN0-224-06099-6.

Thanks to all who replied - all very cogent, good responses. We will be heading to the bullring in Madrid in September. Gracias...

I think that Madrid is not the best place for your first bullfight.
The people is very strict ,all the time are protesting about everything (bull size , etc).
The chance that the bullfighter has for going out
triumphant are minimun.

Pls, you have to start at Toledo,Salamanca or places near Madrid (Aranjuez,Alcala de Henares,
San Sebastian de los Reyes) ,you will enjoy more .

The dangerous summer (Ernest Hemingway)ISBN
0-241-11521-3) is a good book about bullfights.

LUCK

The bullfighting has many fans among the spaniards, but many people are opposed to it or just don't care about it.

What Martin said is true: bullfighting fans are not attracted by the blood, nor by the "corrida" as a sport. I am not a fan myself and I don't really like it, but my father, for example, always enjoyed the "toreo", and I learned from him that the audience of a corrida watch the bullfighting as a subtle art, not as a mere fight. In other words, the bullring is the canvas, the bull is the paint, the cape and the sword are the paintbrushes.

I think that a non-spaniard could become a bullfighting enthusiast, as a spanish could be strongly opposed. Is it just a touristic stuff? No: the audience is mostly spanish, and the best toreros are still famous people. Has it lost relative importance in spanish culture? Maybe.

Ah, just one thing: at least two non-speaking countries have bullfights: Portugal and southern France, that's it, our two close neighbours.