Toro de Fuego

The Toro de Fuego: an fiery tradition

The Toro de Fuego is one of the most emblematic summer events in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. This festive parody of bullfighting, which has become a deeply rooted tradition in the Southwest of France, transforms the Place Louis XIV into a theater of flames and lights twice a week throughout the summer.

Ancestral origins

The origins of the Toro de Fuego date back to antiquity. As early as the 3rd century BC, ancestors would coat the horns of oxen with pitch or resin to set them ablaze. Tradition has it that Louis XIV himself witnessed this spectacle during his marriage to the Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain in Saint-Jean-de-Luz in 1660. The first documented Toro de Fuego in France dates back to 1894, during the Dax festival, created by Pierre Marmajou, founder of a pyrotechnics company in Dax in 1889.

The course of an evening

Each Toro de Fuego evening follows a well-established ritual:

• 9 PM: Opening of the confetti stands in Place Louis XIV. Bags of confetti are sold in line, up to 1,500 bags on the busiest evenings
• Concert: The Basque singing group Alaiak, a band from Hendaye that has performed on the bandstand for 30 years, entertains on Wednesday evenings. Sundays are hosted by dance orchestras
• 10:30 PM (Wednesday) / 11 PM (Sunday): The Toro de Fuego show begins, accompanied by the famous music of Granada

A show for everyone

Lasting about 15 minutes, the Toro de Fuego amazes young and old, vacationers and locals alike. The wooden bull, carried by a man hidden beneath the structure, moves through the square spitting sparks and flames, creating a striking pyrotechnic spectacle in the summer night.