The Málaga Bullfighting Fair 2026, celebrating the 150 years of La Malagueta, concluded with a historic balance: seven consecutive days with grand openings and nine bullfighters carried on shoulders.
The Málaga Bullfighting Fair 2026 has closed its anniversary edition with a balance that few expected: seven consecutive days with grand openings and nine performers carried on shoulders. The cycle, which marked the debut of the company Tauroemoción, has turned the commemoration of 150 years of La Malagueta into something more than just a round number, despite the fact that the quality of the bulls was not always up to par.
The subscription began on August 9 with the final of the Andalusia Novilladas Circuit, where Manuel Quintana was proclaimed the winner after cutting an ear from each of his bulls. Julio Norte added another trophy and Dennis Martín showed dedication, on an afternoon featuring novillos from López Gibaja. Five days later, the mixed novillada confirmed that the start would not give away anything: the livestock from Fuente Ymbro turned out to be very difficult, and Francisco Morales and Emiliano Osornio each walked away with an ear, while Francisco Martín made his debut in the ring as a rejoneador.
The first bullfight, named Sabor a Málaga, left one of the most emotional chapters of the cycle. Maripaz Vega bid farewell to the ring where she trained, walking away with an ear and kissing the sand on her farewell lap. David Galán returned eleven years later to cut a trophy from each of his opponents and exit on shoulders through the crew gate, while José Antonio Lavado surprised at the end of the sixth by symbolically cutting off his hair. The livestock from Lagunajanda also provided two notable bulls, highlighting a truth that ran through the entire cycle: when the bull appeared, the Fair thrived.
The rejoneo Sunday once again belonged to Diego Ventura, who practically single-handedly held the show against the limited cooperation of the bulls from Los Espartales. He dismembered the fifth in a performance that triggered a strong request for a tail. Rui Fernandes overcame the distressing incident suffered by his horse ‘Dorado’, while the local Ferrer Martín lost two performances that could have earned him prizes due to his sword work.
With the arrival of the stars, the succession of grand openings began. David de Miranda returned to the stage where a year earlier he had made a definitive leap in his career: he collected the Capote de Paseo as the winner of 2025 and ended up cutting two ears from the sixth of Juan Pedro Domecq, practically the only bull with real depth from a bland lineup. His relationship with Málaga was strengthened.
The next day, it was Marco Pérez who opened the grand opening in his debut at La Malagueta after dismembering his first bull. El Fandi added an ear from each bull with his usual display of skills, although the most fundamental bullfighting of that afternoon was left by Borja Jiménez, who performed well on the fifth from El Parralejo on both sides but encountered trouble with the sword. It was also one of the afternoons that fueled the debate about the level of demand from the stands and the box.
The Málaga Fair 2026 will go down in history for its trophy balance, but also for having successfully combined farewells, returns, and confirmations in a single cycle. The commemoration has served to reaffirm La Malagueta as one of the most distinctive venues on the circuit, although the standard of the bulls will continue to mark the debate in future editions.
You may also like
