The Fallas of Illusion

During the Fallas festival, Valencia once again fires the starting gun for the major bullfighting fairs of the season. A season ticket series that brings together the very best of the rankings: established stars, recent arrivals and those who are clearly destined to shape the future. All of this is combined with taste and sound judgement. There are no excuses not to be seen this March at the bullring on Calle Xàtiva.

This is how the event has been defined by the manager of Valencia’s bullring himself, Rafael García Garrido. While maintaining the familiar formula of strong and attractive line-ups, there is one key element that sets the Fallas Fair presented by Plaza 1 apart from previous editions: the significant presence of the new generation of matadors, featured in highly appealing combinations, as these young toreros are almost always paired with established stars.

For example, Samuel Navalón will take part in the paseíllo (the ceremonial parade into the arena) alongside Roca Rey and Alejandro Talavante. Víctor Hernández and Marco Pérez will share the bill with Miguel Ángel Perera and Pablo Aguado, while another matador from this new generation, with a stronger presence in major fairs, will do the same alongside Sebastián Castella and José María Manzanares.

But that is not all. This first major fair of the season in a top-category bullring will also feature Borja Jiménez and Tomás Rufo, who will face each other mano a mano (hand to hand) in one of the most attractive contests of the series. Meanwhile, David de Miranda — one of the standout performers of last season — will make his Fallas debut with a bullfight featuring bulls from La Quinta, alongside two young matadors with experience and plenty to say: Román and Fortes.

As a grand finale, on the feast day of the patron saint, there will be a line-up that perfectly blends youth and experience, mastery and freshness, with three distinct yet complementary styles: Talavante — the only matador to appear twice in the season ticket series — together with Emilio de Justo and Juan Ortega. Add to this a first-class selection of breeding ranches, including La Quinta, Victoriano del Río, Núñez del Cuvillo, Santiago Domecq, Domingo Hernández and Jandilla, and it becomes clear that the slogan chosen by the director of Nautalia and current manager of the Valencia bullring is far from exaggerated. These Fallas will also showcase the renovation works carried out at the bullring, further adapting this iconic building, with more than a century of history, to the demands of the 21st century.

And if you are still not convinced, here are the full line-ups, so you can plan calmly and well in advance the first major event of the season:

Saturday, 7 March – 5.00 pm. Novillada without picadors. Bulls from Aida Jovani for Alejandro González, Ian Bermejo, Israel Guirao, Clovis, Hugo Masiá and Daniel García.

Sunday, 8 March – 5.00 pm. Novillada with picadors. Bulls from Talavante for Emiliano Osornio, Mario Vilau and Marco Polope.

Friday, 13 March – 5.00 pm. Bullfight. Bulls from La Quinta for Fortes, Román and David de Miranda.

Saturday, 14 March – 5.00 pm. Bullfight. Bulls from Victoriano del Río for Alejandro Talavante, Roca Rey and Samuel Navalón.

Sunday, 15 March – 12.00 noon. Mounted bullfight (rejones). Bulls from María Guiomar Cortés de Moura for Andy Cartagena, Diego Ventura and Lea Vicens.

Sunday, 15 March – 5.00 pm. Bullfight. Bulls from Jandilla for Sebastián Castella, José María Manzanares and Pablo Aguado.

Monday, 16 March – 5.00 pm. Novillada with picadors. Bulls from Fuente Ymbro for Juan Alberto Torrijos, Julio Méndez and Julio Norte.

Tuesday, 17 March – 5.00 pm. Bullfight. Bulls from Santiago Domecq for Miguel Ángel Perera, Víctor Hernández and Marco Pérez.

Wednesday, 18 March – 5.00 pm. Bullfight – Hand to hand. Bulls from Domingo Hernández for Borja Jiménez and Tomás Rufo.

Thursday, 19 March – 5.00 pm. Bullfight. Bulls from Núñez del Cuvillo for Alejandro Talavante, Emilio de Justo and Juan Ortega.