Camargue bullfighting : between sport and heritage | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourism

A practice inherited from the Camargue bullfighting tradition

The vast, wild expanses of the Camargue are ideal for raising bulls. In the manades, the names given to local farms, the cowherds and gardians have been playing games for generations. They would catch ornaments attached to the bulls, oxen or cows, while avoiding the fearsome charges and violent blows of the horns.

The sport developed over the generations. The Provençal bourgeoisie was seduced by this spectacular activity. Rich in emotion, festive and convivial, it offered spectators unforgettable moments.

The animals that take part in the games, although castrated, are still called bulls. Unlike bullfighting, Camargue bullfighting involves neither killing nor bloodshed. The game can be interrupted at any time if the animal is unintentionally injured.

An important part of the identity of Provence for several centuries, Camargue bullfighting is still practised in an area stretching from Montpellier to the south of Avignon.

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How a Camargue bullfight is run

Before the race, the bulls are sometimes led by the herdsmen on horseback to the bullring. The public are usually present at this stage, known as the abrivado, and try to distract the animals so as to complicate the herdsmen’s task.

The race can then begin. The cocardier bull is released into the arena, with attributes attached to its horns and forehead. These include the cockade, a red ribbon that decorates the animal’s forehead. The tassels, white woollen pompoms, hang from the base of the horns. The string is wrapped around the horn. Several participants, known as raseteurs, have to grab these trophies as the animal brushes against them. They use specially designed hooks called rasets. The razors are assisted by turners, who focus the bull’s attention and guide its charge. Razors are awarded points according to the attributes they remove during the race.

At the end of the race, the herdsmen can lead the animals back to the meadows. This is the bandido, modelled on the abrivado.

Meet the manades of the Camargue

The bulls that compete in Camargue races traditionally come from manades. These farms are run by manadiers, who entrust the care of their herds of horses and bulls to gardians. They occupy vast tracts of land and practise extensive livestock farming. They sometimes have their own arenas, and organise training sessions or events based around the Camargue race. You can find manades in the Camargue and on the Crau plain.

Some manades offer tours and tourist activities. You can enjoy a unique experience in contact with horses and bulls, and share the daily life of the gardians for an unforgettable day. You can also combine this experience with a tasting of local specialities and a horse ride.

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Attend a Camargue race in Provence

The Arles arenas regularly host Camargue bullfights during the summer season, in July and August. You can discover this sport in the heart of a thousand-year-old building dating back to Roman times.

The Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer bullring also hosts Camargue bullfights during the summer season. Contact the town’s tourist office to find out about forthcoming dates.

Several events are also being organised in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, at the Chomel-coinon municipal arena.

Camargues bullfights are sometimes organised on the occasion of votive or patronal festivals:

The “Course Camarguaise des As”, for example, takes place in May during the Semaine des traditions provençales in Châteaurenard.
Tarascon also offers Camargue bullfights as part of the Fêtes de La Tarasque in June.
We invite you to contact the tourist office of your holiday destination to find out about the calendar of forthcoming Camargue races.

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Events in Bouches-du-Rhône