Las Ventas opens 2026 season: San Isidro dates and line-ups

The Season Begins at Las Ventas: Just What You’ve Been Waiting For

Las Ventas announces a fast-paced start to the season, with no warm-up acts. It is yet another reminder that in Madrid, bullfighting can be enjoyed at any time of year, and that you don’t need to wait for the San Isidro Festival to find events with real substance and interest.

Plaza 1, the company that manages Madrid’s iconic Las Ventas bullring, has officially announced the line-ups for the first phase of the 2026 season. This opening block includes the start of the year, the Easter bullfights, and the Sundays leading up to the Community of Madrid celebrations, which traditionally serve as a prelude to the San Isidro Festival.As in previous years, the early part of the season in Madrid follows a clearly torista approach, meaning that the focus is firmly on the bulls themselves. The programme features breeders highly respected by the most knowledgeable sector of Las Ventas’ audience, particularly in events outside the main season ticket cycle. Studs such as Cuadri and Dolores Aguirre are among the most admired by aficionados who place the fighting bull at the very centre of the spectacle.All of them are represented in this opening run of events. The season begins on Sunday, 22 March, with a bullfight featuring bulls from Cuadri, a historic breeding known for its distinctive origins and its Parladé roots. Cuadri already opened the Madrid season a couple of years ago, and returns with a reputation for serious, demanding bulls. Facing them will be Pepe Moral, Damián Castaño and Gómez del Pilar, a trio tasked with handling the strong and uncompromising bulls from Trigueros, whose power and temperament are greatly appreciated by traditional fans.One week later, on Palm Sunday, another experienced and battle-hardened trio will take on the renowned “Atanasio”-bred bulls of Dolores Aguirre. These are large, powerful animals, often producing outstanding moments in the picador stage of the fight. Veteran matador Antonio Ferrera will be joined by two younger names: Mexican bullfighter Isaac Fonseca and Cristián Pérez, from Albacete, who will be confirming his alternativa in Madrid.

On Easter Sunday (5 April), both the bull breeding and the line-up take on a different character. The bill features a seasoned artist such as Curro Díaz, celebrating three decades since his alternativa, alongside two younger matadors: Rafael Serna, who cut an ear at last year’s San Isidro Festival when confirming his alternativa, and Mexican bullfighter Diego San Román, who also made a strong impression during his debut as a matador at Las Ventas. The bulls will come from the herederos of José Luis Martín Lorca, a breeding that has produced several notable bulls in this arena in recent seasons.

The programme is completed with two picado novilladas, the first of the year in Madrid, scheduled for 12 and 19 April. In the first of these, with bulls from Hermanos Sánchez Herrero, Madrid-born Jesús Romero will make his debut at Las Ventas, alongside Pedro Andrés, a novillero from Álava who has developed his career in Castile and León. Completing the trio is Mariscal Ruiz, a Sevillian novillero returning to Madrid after the serious injury he suffered last summer.The first part of the season concludes on 19 April with a novillada featuring bulls from Antonio Palla, a Salamanca-based breeding linked to the Jandilla line, returning to Las Ventas after a long absence. Sergio Domínguez “El Mella”, Cid de María, and Portuguese novillero Tomás Bastos will make the walk to the ring, aiming to turn their previous strong performances in this arena into a decisive triumph.