Ulldecona approves the regulation governing traditional festivals with bulls

The Ulldecona City Council has definitively approved the Regulatory Regulation for traditional festivals with bulls, a text that sets the minimum age to participate in the shows at sixteen full years and orders the assembly of the carafals (wooden stands) arena. The regulation is published in full in the Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona on October 20, 2026, with the reference CVE 2026-09451, and will enter into force twenty calendar days after this publication.

The regulation is the result of a plenary agreement adopted on July 6, 2026, which initially approved the text and submitted it for public information for thirty business days. After this period passed without any claims, the agreement became definitive in accordance with article 17.3 of Law 39/88, of December 28, and is published in compliance with articles 70.2 of Law 7/85, of April 2, and 162.2.c of the LMRLC. The municipal file is 4315670005-2026-0001195 and the document is electronically signed by the mayor, Núria Ventura i Brusca, on October 9, 2026.

The text is framed within Legislative Decree 2/2008, of April 15, on animal protection, Law 34/2010, of October 1, on the regulation of traditional festivals with bulls, and Decree 156/2013, of April 9, which implements this law. A contentious-administrative appeal may be filed against the definitive agreement starting the day after the publication of the edict.

Three festivals included in the law’s annex

The municipality appears in the annex of Law 34/2010 as one of the districts where traditional festivals with bulls are held, on these dates:

• Ulldecona: Festivals of the Mare de Déu de la Pietat and Sant Lluc.
• Els Valentins: Festivals of Sant Antoni.
• El Castell: Festivals of Sant Joaquim.

The safety conditions of the facilities are ordered according to the two planned modalities: bulls in the arena and bulls in the street. The number of bullfighting shows is decided by the City Council after consultation with the Bulls Commission, a body composed of a minimum of five and a maximum of twenty-five enthusiasts appointed by the Mayor’s Office, who must be present throughout the show wearing an armband or a bright-colored badge.

Carafals, deadlines, and penalties

The arena must be constructed with wooden or iron carafals previously registered with the City Council, with the third Friday of July as the registration deadline. The location of each carafal is decided by lottery on the first Monday of August, and owners who do not obtain a spot on the first line are reserved a preferential place the following year.

Assembly must be carried out at least fifteen days in advance so that the municipal technician can certify the safety and solidity of the installations, and disassembly must occur within a maximum of fifteen calendar days after the last show. Uncorrected deficiencies or failure to comply with the orders of the City Council or the Bulls Commission may result in a penalty of one to three years without being able to install the carafal (barrier) on the front line. Burladeros (protective barriers) are prohibited except with a favorable report from the municipal technician and the commission.

Limited stalls and animal protection

In the town center of Ulldecona, one or a maximum of two licenses for food and drink stalls will be granted each year, following a public tender, and no others will be authorized within 300 meters of the square while the bullfighting events last. In the bous al carrer (bulls in the street), the animals must have their horns clearly blunted and rounded, and breeders may not bring male bulls—except for the “tame” one—nor small heifers that could pass between the bars. The use of poles, spikes, unnecessary electric shocks, and the throwing of objects at the animals are explicitly prohibited.

Minimum age of sixteen

To reinforce the safety of minors, the regulation establishes sixteen completed years as the minimum age to participate in the bullfighting events, both in the square and in the street. The organization must prevent the participation of anyone who cannot prove this age, and members of the Bulls Commission, collaborators, and Local Police officers may require the immediate departure from the participation area; if the person is a minor, the parents, mothers, tutors, or legal representatives will be informed.

The rule comes after a process without objections and provides stable regulatory coverage for an activity deeply rooted in the municipality, which until now depended on sectoral regulations and the annual agreements of the commission. For residents and carafal owners, the text converts the registration, draw, and assembly calendars into written rules, and introduces for the first time explicit limits on age and the number of stalls.

Fuente: Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona, no. 20-10-2026, section I, p. 1-15 (official reference: CVE 2026-09451).