Bull fight in Seville

No, nothing is worth the cruel, barbaric and savage torture of a sentient being for entertainment. Avoid at all costs and enjoy the better aspects of Spanish culture.

Gee, is that for one person or more? I went to a bull fight in Seville in May of 2016, had a good seat, but don’t think the ticket was anywhere near that expensive. I was neither especially excited or repulsed by the experience. I realize that there is great debate, in Spain and among visitors, about whether this custom is barbaric or some great cultural tradition. I had visited a few famous bull rings and bull fight museums while in Spain.
I did get some great photos of the toreador v. toro action, plus the surrounding spectacle, would have done even better with a true long lens. There were 3 toreadores, 2 fights each, so 6 fights in all, each with the same spectacle and quite inevitable sad result. I must admit that after 2 or 3, it got quite repetitive and somewhat boring. Glad I attended though, since it was a unique cultural experience. I do enjoy looking through my photos every once in a while.
Note: on a street nearby, there were a few bull fight themed shops. One had a choice of a few posters where they could set the major type, on a poster of bull fight art. I guess the idea was that they would put the customer’s name in as the toreador, which seemed quite hokey to me. Maybe better for a child with dreams of being a famous toreador! But I had them set up the poster with the names of the toreadores who were actually on the program that day, with the actual date, etc. That turned out to be kind of a neat souvenir, for maybe 9 or 10 euros, certainly much better than pretending that I was the toreador, as preposterous as that would have been!

Why would any reasonable human being support such a cruel and horrifying event? It certainly would not be something I would want to pay to see on my vacation.

You opened a hornets nest with your question. JC’s response is shorter than normal since he usually includes a link to some video. At least he’s consistent with how he feels and I can appreciate that. With bullfighting, one generally loves or hates them. There are very few in the middle.

When I lived in Spain decades ago I used to attend a couple fights every season and I enjoyed them. I saw all the main matadors of that era. Even saw a few get gored. Took my children to one in a small town outside Toledo in the 90s. My son love it and my daughter ran after the cute matador after the fight to get his autograph. I went to my last fight in 2007 and doubt I’ll go to another one. If that’s the price, prices have really increased. I’ve never been to a fight where the seats were comfortable. Sol seats are cheaper than Sombra seats and the section of the ring where you sit affect the price. If you’re not sure about going, wait until you get there. Unless there’s a major Féria taking place, you should be able to get last minute tickets.

I went to a bullfight and we bought tickets right at the corrida. Nowhere near $90. Plus we rented a pillow to sit on. The seats are only concrete. I would recommend the pillow.

Of course bullfighting ends with the death of a bull who has no idea of the outcome or even what the hell he is doing.
Another angle is that this goes on anyway and you not going will not change that. There has been discussion here about tourism to Europe while Ukraine is in the midst of a horrible war. People reconciled their (frivolous) trips to Europe in the same manner in which I mentioned the bullfight. You have death and suffering all around on a regular basis and we go and do. How many people have been dissuaded from traveling to Myanmar or China for what they do? How many would still go to St Petersburg if the cruises were still going?
I guess all we can do is to make our personal choices about where we go or do and feel OK with that choice.

For more than 1000 years many outsiders, the Moors, the French, and even the Pope (who excommunicated it) tried and failed to ban bullfighting in Spain, its sure to endure with or without foreign support.

PS: I'm ethically against it myself but understand the realities of the situation.

You should see a bullfight just to say you saw one, because you are interested and now you want to make sure you get a ticket at a good price. Quick research shows that at the low end of the price range, for one upcoming bullfight, tickets cost €42; at the high end, tickets are €108. Once in London, England, I paid about 42 for a ticket to a play. My seat was in the last row midway between the center and side wall. I thought 42 was high. I forgot whether i paid 42 pounds or equivalent to 42 US dollars. As for the bullfighting place, it looks like tickets in the sol, or sun and maybe away from the action, are cheapest. I would buy the cheapest ticket, by coincidence I normally go around with a boony sun hat, and a seat cushion tied to a lightweight day-backpack with a shoelace. I don't know whether you can bring a cushion or day backpack into the bullfighting arena. I suggest the cheapest ticket. You know your budget and how much you are willing to spend. If you end up getting the most expensive ticket, just tell yourself that you needed the experience and you don't know if or when you will have another chance to see a bullfight.

I actually just went to Spain in March. Sometimes I wish I had seen a bullfight just to say I saw one. I skipped it. I went to the bullfight museum in Seville.

As for those who have a philosophical problem with it, if people are going to use products (beef, leather wallets, and so on) made from bulls anyway, why worry about whether the animals are processed in cattle-killing facilities where they bash them in the head or cut their necks versus killing them in a bullfight? I suppose that observation is tone death or impolite in this thread. Plenty of bullfight tickets are sold. I would guess a lot of people have similar judgments, they just probably don't mention it to polite company.

Unique cultural experiences are worth it, I think.
Being a student of art and a lover of learning about different cultures, I am making the same decision regarding my upcoming trip to Spain. I will decide when I get there. I would love to see what has been depicted in some of the great works of art. On one hand, I'd love to see the great Matadors and the pageantry of the event, yet hope visiting a bullfight bar may be enough. I suspect when I get home, I might be disappointed if I did not see this important aspect of the Spanish culture. Then again, the photos in the bar may be enough.
Only you can decide what you want to do, it's your trip.
PS: one seat at the opera is over 200 euros

For those interested in the culture of the fight but not in participating in it: the museum in Ronda was interesting.

As for those who have a philosophical problem with it, if people are going to use products (beef, leather wallets, and so on) made from bulls anyway, why worry about whether the animals are processed in cattle-killing facilities where they bash them in the head or cut their necks versus killing them in a bullfight? I suppose that observation is tone death or impolite in this thread.

There's a simple answer to this. The beef that I eat is raised in grass pastures, no feed lots or hormone injections as permitted in the US. There is a limit imposed to the distance they are permitted to travel to an abbatoir to minimise disruption and once at the abbatoir they are dispatched in the most efficeint, humane method which is a bolt to the head. I do ot buy Halal or Kosher meat due to the cruel, sadistic and pathetic religious based practiced of slitting their throat with no form of anasthesia and left to bleed to death on the floor.

A bullfight is a long torturous and frigtening spectacle for a bull. Chased, taunted, pierced multiple times with swords until, defeated by exhaustion and catastrophic blood loss it is hauled off unceremoniously out of the ring. Not quite comparable to the instant death of a bolt to the head.

Regarding seating. Definitely get a cheaper seat if you decide to go. At every fight I’ve been to, if you buy a Sol seat, by the time of the last fight, you’ll probably be in the shade. If you buy a more expensive Sombra seat, chances are you’ll be in the sun by the last fight.

I’m not in the camp that you should go to a bullfight just to say you went or because it’s a cultural event. Go if you have a real desire to see one, otherwise the violence/cruelty as mentioned by JC may be more than you expected. Know that they are violent and be prepared. Violence aside, the tradition and theatrical aspect of them is nice to see.

I don’t think I would pay 90 Euro. There must be cheaper seats. Only you can decide if it is something you want to see. I went in 1970 and had no problem, but once was enough and I never took up my relatives invites to see them in Tijuana, something they did annually.

Our host Rick has a brief discussion of the moral dimensions in his "Spain" book. If you pride yourself on buying $5.95 Walmart/ShopRite/Costco (?) barbecued chickens, you might hold your outrage at the idea of bullfighting.

I like a literary comment about another topic, "The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there." It's been evoked recently to discuss things like Confederate statues and restrictions on what jobs women can take. Or what the duties of men are.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/66426-the-past-is-a-foreign-country-they-do-things-differently

This is a dense read, but David Brooks of the NY Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/opinion/globalization-global-culture-war.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DJDm4SiOMNAo6B_EGKaq5kbdI33iaSWN5GNvogQPt4x-saNFFpVxSyr96bkY5DIzkwrcj7eFIK6K_3fOJy9y72PC7-If1jxba7slXfbGm7X6Pchmkmc11lvZdmcFu10XZcwLOWE-Ajj9F7jfslD5tqVHxXMnnxyvrvAxl0MdWMaAiNqVVlHrEEBkyA2IKU-LkCcw5NCF_ZTH8Z4m007d5UPdJ_L7-oZld7O5K42eNNfzQueIS5BJQxRJzWk6FptdPNqh-KzcmwzpYmBUc3VXWuaPcYj5SpKc0_ew8&smid=url-share

cites a recent book, “ in The WEIRDest People in the World,” Joseph Henrich amasses hundreds of pages of data to show just how unusual Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic values are.

He writes: “We WEIRD [Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic} people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist and analytical. We focus on ourselves — our attributes, accomplishments and aspirations — over our relationships and social roles.”

Heinrich writes, "It’s completely possible to enjoy listening to Billie Eilish or Megan Thee Stallion and still find Western values foreign and maybe repellent. Many people around the world look at our ideas about gender roles and find them foreign or repellent. They look at (at our best) our fervent defense of L.G.B.T.Q. rights and find them off-putting. The idea that it’s up to each person to choose one’s own identity and values — that seems ridiculous to many. The idea that the purpose of education is to inculcate critical thinking skills so students can liberate themselves from the ideas they received from their parents and communities — that seems foolish to many."