Bullfighting Fair of Santiago 2025

When a city as beautiful and full of possibilities as Santander hosts a bullfighting fair as original and well-rounded as this year’s, it’s hard to think of a better way to spend a summer week on the Bay of Biscay. Still haven’t seen the line-ups? What are you waiting for?

Few fairs throughout the season strike the perfect balance quite like Santander’s Feria de Santiago in its 2025 edition. A true heavyweight of the summer, this fair combines star matadors with exciting new blood, artistic stylists with more powerful, forceful fighters—and even tips its hat to the purists with two of the most iconic “torismo” cattle ranches in the country.

And it’s all packed into a single week: from 19 to 26 July. The fair opens on Saturday the 19th with a novillada featuring three rising stars—Diego Bastos, El Mene, and Mexico’s Bruno Aloi—who will face a string of utreros from El Parralejo.

The next day, Sunday 20th, it’s the turn of the rejoneadores: a high-voltage mano a mano between Andy Cartagena and Diego Ventura, who’ll battle six Murube-blood bulls from Los Espartales.

On Monday the 21st, bulls from Juan Pedro Domecq bring the first full corrida of the fair, with a thrilling trio: Fortes—who’s been a standout in Málaga and Madrid’s San Isidro fair—joins Fernando Adrián and Borja Jiménez, both of whom have been knocking on the door of the major fairs with repeated successes in Las Ventas.

The legendary bulls of Miura return to Cuatro Caminos on Tuesday the 22nd, set to test three very different, contrasting styles: Manuel Escribano, David Galván and Damián Castaño.

Wednesday the 23rd delivers one of the most eye-catching duels of the week—a mano a mano between Morante de la Puebla and Juan Ortega, two masters of pure, classic bullfighting. They’ll take on bulls from El Pilar, Álvaro Núñez and Domingo Hernández.

On Thursday the 24th, the young prodigy Marco Pérez makes his debut as a full matador in Santander, after impressing in last year’s novillada. For such a special evening, the Salamanca-born torero will be joined by two leading figures: Talavante and Emilio de Justo, fighting bulls from Puerto de San Lorenzo.

The final two events of the week also promise fireworks. On Friday the 25th, Roca Rey takes on bulls from Victorino Martín—a real statement—and shares the bill with El Cid, a specialist much loved in this ring, and the rising star Jarocho.

To close, on Saturday the 26th, it’s Roca Rey once more—this time alongside Juan Ortega and Cayetano, who bids farewell to the Santander ring, with bulls from Domingo Hernández.

This year, more than ever, Santander truly is The Fair of the North. It has it all!