Feria du Riz d'Arles

The celebration of Camargue rice

The Feria du Riz gets its name from the Camargue rice harvest, which marks the beginning of autumn each year in the Rhone delta. This bullfighting and popular festival, held on the second weekend of September, celebrates the deep attachment of the people of Arles to their Camargue land, where rice has been cultivated since the 19th century in the delta's rice paddies.

The Goyesque: the flagship event

The Goyesque, a bullfight dressed in the tradition of Francisco de Goya's paintings, is the flagship event of the Feria du Riz. In the Roman arenas lit for the occasion, the matadors exchange their traditional bullfighting attire for period Goyesque costumes, offering a unique bullfighting spectacle in France. This event, created in the early 2000s, has become a highly prized meeting for aficionados.

Quality bullfights in the Roman arenas

Beyond the Goyesque, the Feria du Riz offers a complete bullfighting program with bullfights, novilladas, and Camargue races. The lineups bring together internationally renowned matadors, making this feria a quality complement to the Feria de Paques and a fitting end to the Arles bullfighting season.

A festive and popular atmosphere

As with the Feria de Paques, the city of Arles transforms into a huge popular festival during the Feria du Riz. The bodegas, bandas, peñas, abrivados, and street entertainment create a friendly and warm atmosphere, where Provençal and Camargue traditions are fully experienced in the streets of the historic center.