Villanueva de la Torre approves the ordinance for popular bullfighting festivities

The Plenary Session of the City Council of Villanueva de la Torre, in an extraordinary session held on September 10, 2026, has definitively approved the Regulatory Ordinance for popular bullfighting festivities of the municipality. The regulation, signed by the mayor Mª Sonsoles Rico Ordoñez, is published in full in the Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara number 174, dated September 11, 2026, and will enter into force in accordance with the provisions of its Second Final Provision.

The definitive approval comes after the public exhibition and information period of 30 business days, calculated from the publication of the announcement in the BOP No. 128, dated July 8, 2026, and following its announcement on the Notice Board, the Electronic Office, and the Transparency Portal. The ordinance is issued under the protection of Law 7/1985 on the Bases of Local Regime, Law 7/2011 on public spectacles of Castilla-La Mancha, and Decree 38/2013, of July 11, which approves the Regulations for Popular Bullfighting Festivities of the region.

Classification and prohibited festivities

The ordinance classifies the festivities into three categories: cattle runs through urban streets, cattle runs through the countryside, and the release of cattle. All festivities not included in these categories are prohibited and, in any case, those involving the mistreatment of the cattle, with special mention to:

• Embolado, consisting of setting fire to the material used for the embolado or attaching torches to the horns.
• The tying of cattle to a fixed point with ropes, cords, or any other means.

It is also prohibited to wound, prick, hit, or treat the cattle cruelly, including the throwing of objects or the alteration of any of their senses.

Conditions of the cattle and security

The age of the cattle shall not exceed six years for males nor twelve for females, and in release competitions, it shall not exceed thirty-six months. No festivity may be held without a prior examination of the cattle by the service veterinarians, who shall be two unless only a single animal is involved.

Regarding facilities, non-permanent or portable arenas must have a Self-Protection Plan with an emergency and evacuation plan, and the urban run route shall have a width of between six and ten meters, a maximum distance of one thousand meters, and a duration of fifteen minutes. The run through the countryside shall last three hours and shall have a minimum of six riders and three handlers.

Participants and organization

The minimum age to participate shall be sixteen, although participation is permitted for those over fourteen who are students of an authorized bullfighting school. Those presenting symptoms of intoxication or poisoning, those who do not possess full physical or psychological conditions, and those carrying bottles, glasses, or instruments that could cause mistreatment of the cattle are excluded.

• In urban bull runs, there shall be a minimum of ten volunteer collaborators; in rural runs, fifteen; and in releases, three.
• The fight director must be registered in the General Registry of Bullfighting Professionals.
• The president of the event may suspend it due to lack of authorization, lack of medical personnel, unsafe facilities, or mistreatment of the cattle.
• The sanctioning regime refers to Law 7/2011 and the regional Regulation.

The Bull Run Plan, annexed to the ordinance, delimits the start, release, spectator, and finish zones in the areas of El Rincón, Perales, Esteva, and La Dehesa, with a deployment of six horsemen, ten vehicles, and a tranquilizer dart rifle as a last resort.

Relevance of the regulation

The ordinance provides its own legal framework for a tradition deeply rooted in the municipality, balancing the celebration of the festivities with security and animal welfare requirements. An administrative appeal may be filed against the agreement before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha, based in Albacete, within two months of its publication.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara, No. 174, September 11, 2026, City Councils section, pp. 1-20 (official reference: announcement of final approval of the Regulatory Ordinance for popular bullfighting festivities of Villanueva de la Torre).