'La Macarena', the bullring in Felanitx, Mallorca

'La Macarena' - there hasn't been a bullfight since 2008. | Gori Vicens

Andrew EdeFelanitx08/06/2024 08:47
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Opened in 1914, the bullring in Felanitx, known as La Macarena, last staged a bullfight in 2008. Since then it has deteriorated considerably, the owners hamstrung in attempts to sell it because of an historical stipulation that there had to be at least one bullfight a year - for the Sant Agustí Fiestas on August 28.

The town hall is now expected to facilitate the sale at the council meeting on Monday. This will require the elimination of the clause, which dates back to 1960 and when the bullring was bought at auction by a painter, Federico Molina. It had previously been municipal property, and the current town hall administration is looking to remove the clause that was part of the deal in 1960.

This clause was put into the deeds but not the property register. In 1966, Molina sold the bullring to a Catalonian company, Exclusivas Balañá S.L. As the clause wasn't in the register, the company was unaware of the bullfight obligation.

Removing the clause will allow Balañá to go ahead with the sale to what is understood to be an interested party - a Mallorcan businessperson who wishes to restore the bullring and use it for cultural and leisure purposes, but without the burden of having to hold a bullfight.

La Macarena is a listed building, so any restoration would require maintaining certain features and be subject to relevant permissions from the Council of Mallorca's heritage department.