Has anyone done this? How do you get tickets in advance? I will be in Seville Sunday June 28 (I think they are usually Sunday nights) and am considering going. Any insight would be great!
Posted by
Whittington
984 posts
Hope you know what to expect.
http://www.tengoentradas.com/Entradas-Toros-Sevilla.html
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
We went. I stopped by the Casa de Toro the afternoon before the fight we attended and picked up tickets at the ticket window. I'm not sure if it was Rick or someone else's advice to skip the scalpers in Seville (they may sell you a ticket that isn't valid).
As far as I can tell the schedule is all Sunday's in June (but the schedule doesn't show bulls or matadors for the 28th).
I'm glad I went. It's a spectacle, sport and unique cultural experience. There are TV cameras like you would see at an NFL game.
That said, most tourists root for the bulls and are always disappointed. Each bull suffers the same fate. It's first tired out, by a guy with a pike on a huge horse, before the action starts. Ultimately the bull dies from a sword between the shoulder blades (hopefully quickly/mercifully). A great bull is one that has an unquenchable will to fight. It's probably the norm for the bull to get tired, confused and pretty much stop - then have to be goaded repeatedly by the matador into making passes.
The bulls are dangerous. If a matador makes a tiny slip, even a fraction of a second, the bull can seriously injure or kill the matador. When we went, one of the matadors wore an eye patch. The local news said it was his first time back since a serious injury the previous season. Later we visited a bull bar in Madrid and saw video of his injury (over and over). His back foot slipped maybe a couple of inches. Nearly instantly the bull's horn went through his jaw and destroyed one eye, blinding him on that side.
A Corrida is six bulls and three matadors (who fight two bulls each). I believe the highest ranked matador goes last, so third and sixth. If you're lucky more than one of the bulls will put up a good fight. After a good fight it's interesting to watch the appreciative crowd cheer the matador as he makes a victory lap around the arena. One lady, dressed in a very traditional black dress, complete with big hair comb and veil that goes over it, gave the matador a chicken - the way a conductor or diva might receive flowers. We went during April fair, so there may have been more formal/traditional dress that night than normal.