Póvoa de Varzim Bullfighting Arena
| Póvoa de Varzim Bullfighting Arena | |
|---|---|
Póvoa de Varzim Bullring in Avenida Vasco da Gama. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Bullring |
| Location | Póvoa de Varzim |
| Country | Portugal |
| Coordinates | 41°23′14.1″N 8°46′14.3″W / 41.387250°N 8.770639°W |
| Construction started | 1949 |
| Opening | 1949 |
Póvoa de Varzim Bullfighting Arena (Portuguese: Monumental Praça de Touros da Póvoa de Varzim) was a bullring (Portuguese: Praça de Touros) in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is located on Avenida Vasco da Gama, on the northern waterfront of the city. Bullfighting, horse shows, and concerts are held in the arena.
The arena opened in 1949 and has a seating capacity of 6,097 regular seats and 150 chairs. Since 1984, it is a municipal venue owned by Varzim Lazer, a municipal company. It was built using functionalist architecture with a tendency to geometrical artistic expression.
Póvoa de Varzim Bullring has the most important bullfighting tradition in Northern Portugal, some of its Portuguese-style corridas are broadcast in national television and some of its events met with strong opposition from animal welfare activists, such as the Portuguese group Animal and PETA. The bullring includes the Salvação Barreto Bullfighting Museum, paying homage to the creator and manager of the bullring and a mythical forcado or bull-grabber who participated in the 1951 epic Quo Vadis as a gladiator fighting a bull.