Laurence Dollimore
MARBELLA will host a bullfighting event for the first time in nine years, it was confirmed today.
World-famous matadors including Roca Rey, Morante de la Puebla and Jose Maria Manzanares will descend on the iconic Plaza de Toros on June 8.
The ‘spectacular’ event, according to the local council, will ‘reinaugurate’ the tradition of bullfighting in the town.
The festivity will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the arena being built.
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Meanwhile, the bulls will be provided by a series of local ranches, including Juan Pedro Domecq, Carlos Nuñez, Garcigrande, Santiago Domecq, El Freixo and Alvaro Nuñez.
The Plaza de Toros has been closed since 2015, meaning a bull has not stepped foot inside the arena for almost a decade.
Animal activists are outraged over the planned event.
A member of the leftwing IU party wrote on X: “A step backwards in Marbella, reviving an activity that is more than outdated.
“And with a bullring that could be a reference for culture, leisure, a public space, but none of this will happen…”
Another X user fumed: “You should be ashamed to offer something like this.”
The event has been made possible by the governing conservative Partido Popular party, which has an absolute majority in the Marbella town hall.
The local contingent of far-right party Vox praised the upcoming event, branding it a ‘significant’ moment.
Other locals also praised the return of bullfighting to Marbella, thanking the town hall for ‘keeping the tradition alive’.
