Bulls at Las Ventas in Madrid during the Autumn Fair, schedule by day and time

With the first days of autumn approaching, Madrid prepares for one of its most intense and traditional rituals. The 2025 Autumn Fair returns to the Las Ventas Bullring to close out the bullfighting season in style. For two weeks, the capital will be a meeting point for today's best bullfighters, prestigious bullfighting ranches, and a fan base that knows no fads or controversies: one that thrills to the bull in its purest form.

It's not just another fair. It's the last major season of the year in the world's leading market, and each season it establishes itself as the stage where top names seek to confirm their season, and new names seek to make their mark before the curtain falls.

A short but intense fair: dates

This year's edition will be held between September 28 and October 12 , with bullfights held mainly on weekends, and with the traditional bullfight on Hispanic Heritage Day as a grand finale. All festivities will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the impressive bullring located at 237 Calle Alcalá.

During those days, Las Ventas becomes a barometer of the season and a stage of maximum demand. There's no room for complacency: you come here to succeed... or to be accountable to the toughest audience in the world.

As usual, the cast will be made up of the winners of San Isidro, bullfighters who have opened the Puerta Grande during the season or who have demonstrated consistency in other top-tier bullrings. Established figures and young up-and-comers are also expected, in a balance that has characterized this fair for decades.

Poster by days

• Thursday, October 2nd. 6:00 p.m. Bullfights by Antonio López Gibaja for Sergio Sánchez, Emiliano Osornio, and Ignacio Candelas.
• Friday, October 3rd. 6:00 PM. Bulls from Victoriano del Río and bulls from Cortés for Emilio de Justo, Borja Jiménez, and Tomás Rufo.
• Saturday, October 4th. 6:00 p.m. Bulls from Domingo Hernández for Talavante, Pablo Aguado, and Jarocho (alternative confirmed).
• Sunday, October 5th. 6:00 p.m. Bulls from Fuente Ymbro, Puerto de San Lorenzo, and La Ventana del Puerto for Uceda Leal, Fortes, and Víctor Hernández.
• Thursday, October 9th. 6:00 p.m. Grand finale of the "Camino hacia Las Ventas" (Road to Las Ventas) bullfighting competition without picadors.
• Friday, October 10. 6:00 p.m. Bulls from Fuente Ymbro for Bruno Aloi, El Mene, and Pedro Luis.
• Saturday, October 11th. 6:00 p.m. Bulls from Victorino Martín for David Galván, Román, and Ginés Marín.
• Sunday, October 12. 12:00 p.m. Not included in the season ticket. Charity festival in support of the Antoñete monument. Cattle from various ranches went to Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza, Curro Vázquez, César Rincón, Enrique Ponce, Julio Aparicio, Morante, and Olga Casado.
• Sunday, October 12. 6:00 p.m. Garcigrande bulls for Morante, Fernando Robleño (farewell), and Sergio Rodríguez (confirmation of his alternative).

But the Autumn Fair is much more than just names. It is, above all, a space where the bull regains its prominence. That's why the program also includes some of the most eagerly awaited events for the most demanding fans: the cattle challenges and the bullfighting competition.

Bravery as a spectacle

On Sundays in September, Las Ventas hosts these challenges, in which bullfighters face off against bulls of different breeds in a single afternoon. Here, the importance of the lineup isn't so much the lineup as the diversity and behavior of the fighting bull. These are events that appeal to the purest essence of bullfighting, with fans who come not only to see triumphs, but to see bulls in all their expression.

The Corrida Concurso de Ganaderías, on the other hand, rewards bravery. Different ranches compete to showcase the most complete bull in strength, breed, mobility, and dedication. It's a type of bullfighting event with a long tradition in France, and it has also found its place at Las Ventas. For purists, these events are not to be missed.

A date with history

The Autumn Fair is not a recent invention. Although its first edition dates back to 1962, it was only in 1981 that it became established as a regular event eagerly awaited by fans. Today, along with the San Isidro Fair, it forms part of the bullfighting soul of Madrid, attracting thousands of spectators not only from the city but from all over Spain and southern France.

It's not unusual to see, on these autumn afternoons, groups of foreign fans mingling with regular season ticket holders, sharing comments and expectations before the first bugle sounds. But it's also a time for the bull to have its place, for liturgy and emotion to return before the winter break. At Las Ventas, every afternoon counts. And in the fall, perhaps a little more so.