Vila-real will host a bullfighting venue for the celebration of ‘bou al carrer’ after the application processed by a private company, which has the corresponding authorizations from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health.
From the very beginning, the Town Hall has expressed its willingness to allow the city to continue to hold bullfighting events, complying with the prevention measures of the COVID-19, in support of the sector of the cattle ranches of wild cattle and in defence of the tradition of the ‘bou al carrer’, “which in Vila-real has been documented since the 14th century”, as the councillor for Festivals, Diego A. Vila, has recalled.
According to the regulations approved by the Generalitat Valenciana, which regulate the celebration of bullfighting events in the current health crisis situation – and in whose preparation the mayor of Vila-Real, José Benlloch, participated – these events can only be held in bullrings or closed areas and the town halls must expressly state their willingness to host them, although the authorization corresponds to the autonomous government.
In this case, after the request by the company Montauro, the Generalitat has authorized the installation of this enclosure, with a capacity for 800 people and with all the prevention measures by the COVID-19 established in the regional regulations, as reported by the City Council in a statement. The site, located next to the Jaume I garden, will host events already this coming weekend and will remain installed until 25 October.
“As a municipality with a bullfighting tradition, from the first moment we expressed our will to facilitate the activity of a sector that is also suffering the consequences of this crisis, and the proof is that cattle are already being sacrificed for the suspension of the acts of ‘bou al carrer'”, said Vila, who recalled that in the case of Vila-real, the traditional acts of the May and September festivals could not be held.
“In the same way that we have facilitated the reactivation of other economic sectors, we consider that the sector of the ‘bou al carrer’ also has the right to resume its activity, always with all the sanitary measures and complying with the legislation, and for this reason we have not doubted in allowing the installation of this bullfighting enclosure”, concluded the councillor, recalling the “great economic impact” that the ‘bou al carrer’ has in the Comunitat and the “important” hobby that there is in the municipality and the province.
