On Saturday, October 3, at 5:00 PM, a portable bullring next to the Santo Chiquito will host a rejoneo event featuring three horse riders, including local star Ferrer Martín. This will be the first bullfighting event in the municipality since 2017.
The Real Feria de San Miguel in Vélez-Málaga will revive bullfighting this year with an afternoon of rejoneo scheduled for Saturday, October 3 at 5:00 PM. The venue will be a portable bullring set up in the esplanade next to the Santo Chiquito.
The lineup was presented by councilman Manuel Gutiérrez and bullfighting entrepreneur Bienvenido Ferrer, at an event that unveiled a highly anticipated date for horse and bull enthusiasts in the Axarquía region.
Three rejoneadores will take to the sand: Portuguese Rui Fernandes, Andrés Romero, and, as a major draw for local fans, the veleño Ferrer Martín, who will have the chance to perform before his fellow townspeople on such a significant date. The event will feature six bulls from the ranches of Jódar and Ruchena.
The return of bullfighting has a marked historical significance, as Vélez-Málaga has not hosted a bullfighting event since June 10, 2017, when a bullfight took place with Manuel Díaz 'El Cordobés', Francisco Rivera 'Paquirri', and Manuel Barea 'El Arqueño'. Nine years later, bullfighting returns to the municipality alongside the grand fair.
The selection of the lineup incorporates an important local component. Ferrer Martín will bring the name of Vélez-Málaga to the centre of the ring, following a rising career in rejoneo. The veleño horseman took his alternative in Fuengirola in 2021, with Diego Ventura as godfather and Leonardo Hernández as witness, achieving two ears that afternoon. In recent years, he has garnered notable performances in venues such as La Malagueta and confirmed his alternative at Las Ventas in Madrid.
Tickets will be priced to accommodate different audiences, starting from 15 euros for children to 50 euros for the barrier seats. General admission will cost 40 euros, while the contrabarrera will be 45 euros. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Restaurante Paco y Chano and Floristería Ana Mari. On the day of the event, a box office will be available at the bullring, open from 10:00 AM until the start of the event.
Councilman Manuel Gutiérrez highlighted that
“the return of bullfighting events means adding another activity to a Real Feria de San Miguel that we want to continue growing and offering proposals for all audiences”. He also announced that discussions are ongoing with the Provincial Council of Málaga to explore the possibility of incorporating new bullfighting events into the programme, with participation from students of the Provincial Bullfighting School and local young talents such as Diego Berenguer and rejoneador Francisco Martín.
Gutiérrez stated that
“Vélez-Málaga has a significant bullfighting tradition and there is a fanbase that has been waiting a long time to enjoy a bullfighting event in our municipality”, and encouraged
“all fans from Vélez-Málaga and the entire Axarquía to enjoy this afternoon of rejoneo”. The councillor particularly valued the presence of Ferrer Martín:
“it is gratifying that a rejoneador from our land, who is carrying the name of Vélez-Málaga to different venues, can return to perform before his fellow townspeople on such an important date as our Real Feria de San Miguel”.
For his part, entrepreneur Bienvenido Ferrer expressed his satisfaction at the return of bullfighting events and encouraged fans to attend the bullring on October 3. Ferrer highlighted the composition of the lineup and the presence of
“three reliable rejoneadores, six bulls from Jódar and Ruchena, and, above all, the excitement of having an afternoon of bullfighting back in Vélez-Málaga”.
The event on October 3 is set to be one of the major highlights of the Real Feria de San Miguel 2026: bullfighting returns to Vélez-Málaga, and it does so on horseback, with a lineup that combines tradition, spectacle, and a local name in the ring.
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