Attending the Bullfight

 

Stadium Layout

Andanada (upper level, for the drunks), 

Tendido (middle level, great seats where people share food but you`ll still likely get alcohol spilled on you from above. More expensive, but way worth it because of the view and the kind people around you who you'll share food) or

 Grada (lower level for the upper class, expensive seats).

Understanding Your Ticket

Andanada is the level of the stadium your seat will be on (i.e. how high up).

The '3' beside Andanada indicates the section of the stadium (i.e. left to right). 

Fila means which row your seat will be on.

Number 5 is your seat. 
You'll see this in more detail below.

Entering the Stadium and Finding Your Seat

This is the entrance where people will take your ticket.

You can pay 1 euro to get a little cushion to make your seating a bit more comfortable.

Based on your ticket, you'll look for your entrance to the stadium seats.  
Stairs down this hall (as you can see in the distance to the left) will take you up to a higher section (Andanada).

You'll enter to the bull ring stadium seating through a gate like this where these workers can direct you to your seat.

Here is a closer look at how you'll find your seat. 9, 10, 11 etc are the levels (fila), and 31, 32 etc. is your individual seat. 

Notice how neat and clean the stands are now.

People have prepared their seats.

The Bull Fight

While the seats fill in, various bands will play music. They will continue to play thoughout the bull fight.

There Are a Few Stages to the Bullfight.

1. The matadors taunt the bull with their capes.

2. One matador teases the bull with their cape trying to get the bull to pass by them closer and closer each time.
3. The matador gets the bull to charge him, and stabs the bull with a number of pointed objects which will be left hanging from the bull (above).

4. They will continue to exhaust the bull by taunting them with the cape and eventually lodge a sword between it's shoulders.

5. They will kill the bull.

6. People will stand up and applaud/watch as they tie up the bull and drag it out of the stadium.

This is the view from Tendido.  Row 10.

In the tendido section, people will bring food from home,

including appetizers, sandwhiches, drinks and deserts that they will share with strangers around them.  It`s an amazing community vibe in this section with people sharing and blowing bubbles and throwing water on each other. I highly recommend tendido seats.

 Others will be focused on playing with others than the game. I don't think I've ever seen this guy watching the bull fight.

Even though we were in the Tendido section, the people from the sections above constantly threw wine on us.  My whole shirt ended up looking like this.  

Believe it or not, a little 'Oxy-Clean' took care of all the wine stains.

By the end of the bull fight, the stands looked like this. But the workers do an excellent job of making the place look like new.

After the bull fight, the audience and bands are able to enter the bull ring.

 

After, they leave the bull ring and march throughout the streets of old town Pamplona.