The Easter Feria, opens the French bullfighting season and attracts 500,000 visitors including the 50,000 aficionados, or bullfighting fans, who actually attend the corridas in the Roman arena. It is followed by the Rice Feria in September.
Each year, before the Feria, the “Espace Toro”, located at the Gimeaux corrals, presents the bulls used for the corrida and offers information about bullfighting traditions in the south of France. Usually two fights per day take place in the Arles arena, ranked in the 1st category among the three categories of arenas in France.

The different types of bullfights :

• corridas de toros : animals between the ages of 4 and 6 years are fought by “matadors de toros”.
• novilladas with picadors : animals younger than 3 years (novillos) are fought by “matadors de novillos”, assisted by picadors.
• novilladas without picadors : animals between the ages of 2 and 3 years are fought by beginning bullfighters, without pricking.
• corridas de rejones : animals younger than 6 years are fought by “rejoneadores de toros” or “de novillos” on horseback.
• becerradas : animals between the ages of 18 and 24 months are fought, with or without killing, by professionals or by amateur aficionados.

The fight is governed by a president who insures that the bullfighting rules and regulations are respected. The paseo or parade is introduced by a trumpet call and all the participants are presented to the public. Then the bull surges out of the bull pen (“toril”) and is received by the torero with his cape, thus allowing him to judge the animal right from the beginning.

The fight can be divided into three parts or tercios :

• tercio de pique : the picador, on his armor-covered horse, will test the courage of the bull by pricking him at the top of the “morillo”.
• tercio de banderilles : banderillos (peones who assist the torero) place three pairs of banderillas on the withers to encourage the bull to attack. The matador may place the banderillas himself if he so desires.
• tercio de combat ou muleta : this is the matador’s moment of truth. He must control the bull, harmonize his movement’s with his, and then deal the final “estoquade”.

The show is also everywhere in the streets of the old city. The aficionados (bullfighting fans) can continue their evening after the fight at one of the thirty “bodegas” over a glass of sangria. Penas (bands of musicians) add to the festivities around the arena and through the city streets.