Immersive bullfighting experience centre in Malaga gets green light from the Junta

The Junta de Andalucía has given the green light to a bullfighting immersive experience centre which Malaga's provincial authority plans to open in the city's bullring. The Diputación plans to open it in the first quarter of next year and says it will be the first of its kind in the world.

The Junta voted in favour of the cultural project at its last meeting. This authorisation is mandatory as the bullring of La Malagueta is an asset of cultural interest (BIC) and is located in the historic centre of Malaga, which is also a BIC.

"The proposed intervention does not affect the heritage value of the BIC bullring of La Malagueta, and is compatible with the maintenance of the heritage values of the protected assets of the historic centre of Malaga," according to Junta documents seen by SUR.

It pointed out that once the documentation provided by the Diputación has been reviewed, the project will get under way, consisting of the installation of furniture, lighting and audiovisual elements using the existing installations.

"The implementation of the immersive centre is compatible with the ordinary use of the monument, reversible at any time," the report pointed out. "It is considered that its establishment helps to promote the history of the monument itself, boosting tourism and the culture of the city and the historic centre of Malaga."

The provincial authority said the immersive bullfighting experience will be an avant-garde space designed to immerse visitors in the world of bullfighting through various interactive and multimedia experiences.

Visitors will also be able to tour the monument in approximately an hour and a half, living immersive experiences in first person and taking a journey through the general history of bullfighting, with a special focus on the impact of this cultural phenomenon in Malaga province.

There will be two types of routes, depending on whether or not a bullfighting event is being held in the bullring at the time, and all three floors will be used: the ground floor, the seating area and the grandstand. The management of the site will be the responsibility of Toroshopping, which won the tender and plans to make an initial investment of more than 600,000 euros.

The centre will feature, among other things, 3D projections that recreate historical events and iconic moments in the history of bullfighting; with virtual glasses, visitors can feel the excitement of attending a bullfight in La Malagueta from different points of view; visitors can also experience the feeling of being a bullfighter thanks to a virtual reality simulator in the bullring.