Written by José Miguel Arruego• 19 June, 2024• 13:13• Fairs

Soria: A Fair Made Tradition

HomeFairsSoria: A Fair Made Tradition

The San Juan festivities in Soria are a classic. A week of revelry and joy, with, as almost always, the bulls as an excuse. This year the figures are announced, along with the triumphant bullfighters of Seville and Madrid. If you don’t know them, it’s worth getting closer to discover the Sanjuanes of this Castilian capital. You won’t regret it.

Soria Bullfighting Fair 2024

The “Sanjuanes” of Soria remain faithful to a tradition year after year; The dates fluctuate, depending on the calendar, but the bullfighting days are always the same, and are distributed as follows:

- Wednesday of Proclamation
- Thursday of Saca
- Friday of Bulls
- Saturday Agés
- Sunday of Calderas
- Monday of Dances

Regardless of the company that manages the bullring and the bullfighters who perform in the subscription, the structure of it is maintained and respected faithfully despite the passage of years. That’s why, the posters of Soria always respond to the same pattern:

Wednesday of Proclamation (June 26)

As its name indicates, it is the day that the festivities begin. In recent times, it is the day chosen to schedule a rejoneo (bullfighting on horseback), a show that in Soria has many followers. Andy Cartagena, Diego Ventura and Léa Vicens, three figures of this art, make up the poster that opens the series. The bulls are from Albarreal.

Thursday of Saca (June 27)

Thursday is the day destined for La Saca, a show deeply rooted throughout the province, which consists of moving the cattle from the Valonsadero mountain to the bullring, with the help of horses and riders, in a kind of bull run that ends through the city streets until it ends up in the bullring.

Friday of Bulls (June 28)

It is a double day in which two novilladas (bullfights with young bulls) without picadors take place, one of them in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The Peñas (groups of friends) are protagonists both for the costumes and outfits that accompany them and for being part of both festivities, which they witness in the alley of the bullring, even the bravest, sitting on the stirrup.

Saturday Agés (June 29)

The word Agés is a pre-Roman expression, of Indo-European origin. It has to do with community distributions and that day in Soria is characterized by the celebration of brotherhood meals. That day an enclosure of Julio de la Puerta, Domecq breed, is announced for Diego Urdiales, bullfighter from the neighboring Rioja, along with two winners in Seville and Madrid: Miguel Ángel Perera and Borja Jiménez.

Sunday of Calderas (June 30)

Big Day of the festival, where all the Peñas parade through the city streets, and the most important bullfight of the entire subscription. Two top figures of bullfighting such as Sebastián Castella and José María Manzanares make the paseíllo (bullfighters’ parade) along with the local bullfighter, Rubén Sanz. The bulls to be fought belong to the El Vellosino herd.

Monday of Dances

The next day, Monday of Dances, the festivities end with several institutional acts. The most austere day (and the only one without bullfighting events) of a festival where joy and good vibes go hand in hand, and the foreigner is welcomed with fervent hospitality and feels like a local from minute one. Do you dare to know them?