Plaza de toros de Buenavista (Buenavista Bullring), Oviedo

The Buenavista Bullring opened on August 4, 1889 to a design by architect Juan Miguel de la Guardia, becoming the city’s principal arena for major festivities. The brick-trimmed façade, horseshoe and semicircular arch openings, and polygonal plan give the building a distinctive late-19th-century profile. Its capacity grew over time-most notably with a 1957 intervention that expanded seating to around 9,300-yet the exterior still reads as a coherent historic shell.

The bullring’s story shifted in the 2000s. Declared a Asset of Cultural Interest in 2006, it closed on March 30, 2008 after municipal engineers flagged serious structural issues. The final bullfight had taken place months earlier, on September 21, 2007, during the San Mateo festivities. Since then, vegetation has crept into the ring and stands-a surreal sight documented by local media-while the city has explored ways to repurpose the protected structure.

For visitors today, the bullring is chiefly an exterior stop: a quick look at the brickwork, portals, and silhouette. It remains a touchpoint in Oviedo’s cultural memory-once a venue for both fairs and big concerts. Starting with 2026 Oviedo’s bullring will undergo a major restoration. The project will transform the site into the Oviedo Arena, a multipurpose venue designed for cultural and sporting events, with no plans to revive bullfighting.