Bullfighting in Portugal

Scene of Forcados in the Bullring of Cartaxo.

Bullfighting in Portugal shares general aspects with the culture of fighting bulls present in neighboring Spain, such as the popular running of the bulls (largadas) and various variants of bullfights (touradas), also held in the south of France and in other Latin American countries. In Portugal there are particular aspects such as the preference for bullfighting on horseback or rejoneo and the forcados, a typical luck of the Portuguese bullfights. In the bullfights in Portugal, the bull after the fight is not killed in the ring but in the corrals of the bullring since April 1, 1928, with the exception of the town of Barrancos, in Alentejo. Despite being decriminalized by the Portuguese parliament the death of the bull in the ring since the year 2000, it is maintained. The reference bullfighting center in Portugal is Ribatejo and the season runs from April to October. In 2018, the Portuguese parliament rejected the proposal to ban bullfighting, considering it an important part of its culture and traditions.

Following the decision of the Póvoa de Varzim city council to prohibit bullfighting at the beginning of 2019, in September 2019 the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Porto declared this decision unconstitutional, therefore bullfighting is not prohibited in Portugal.