The Portuguese Bullfighting Federation (PróToiro) revealed that bullfighting attracted, in 2023, 400,700 spectators, which represented an increase of 7% compared to 2022, the year in which 375,200 people attended these shows.

In the balance, PróToiro points out this growth as “the second best result since 2016, only surpassed in 2019, with 428 thousand spectators”.

PróToiro data records an average of 2,274 spectators per show, “the highest figure in the last 10 years”, also noting that the average occupancy rate at bullfights (with 2,513 spectators) increased by 16% compared to to 2,174 spectators in 2022, a number only surpassed in 2019 with 2,559 spectators.

“This growth is even more relevant when 176 shows were held in 2023 (191 in 2022), with the abnormal cancellation of 16 scheduled shows, due to bad weather”, says Prótoiro in the balance made based on cross-referencing data from the National Association of Bullfighters, National Association of Forcado Groups and the Portuguese Association of Bullfighting Breeders.

Differing numbers

The federation's data differs from the report by the General Inspection of Cultural Activities (IGAC), which points to 2023 as the year with the lowest number ever in terms of bullfighting shows.

According to IGAC, in 2023, 182 shows were licensed and 166 performed, of which 16 were canceled or not performed for meteorological reasons.

The numbers of the two entities also differ in the comparative analysis, with IGAC registering 175 shows in 2022 and PróToiro arguing that 191 were held.

In the statement, PróToiro maintains that its data reveal “a more comprehensive portrait of bullfighting in Portugal, since data from the General Inspection of Cultural Activities only reflects the administrative activity of this body in Mainland Portugal”, not including data from the Region Autonomous Region of the Azores, as it is governed “by its own legislation”, as is the case with “events that are not covered by bullfighting regulations, such as Barrancos, Recortadores, among others”.

In the note, PróToiro regrets that bullfighting shows are subject to a 23% VAT rate, considering that this harms “the sector's recovery from the effects of the pandemic, but also the support for social solidarity institutions that depend on it, such as mercies and IPSS, which own around half of the bullrings in the country.”

According to the federation, Portuguese cattle farmers promote “biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change in around 70 thousand hectares of cork oak forests, marshes and endemic areas in the Azores dedicated to fighting bulls” and have contributed “positively to the trade balance of goods and services, with exports reaching 437 wild cattle” in the year in which “only 24 bulls” were imported.