Known to many as the ‘city of bulls’, the Provencal village of Arles will kick off the French bullfighting season at the end of March with the Féria de Paques as more than half a million visitors descend on the Provencal town.

(TRAVPR.COM) UK - March 25th, 2013 - Every year, more than 500,000 visitors attend the Féria de Paques during the Easter holidays. The event celebrates the first bullfight of the season, which takes place in the old Roman amphitheatre of Arles.

The Féria de Paques spans four jubilant days in which the streets are filled with spectators and moving orchestras known as peñas, while the drinks flow from each of the bodegas in town.

The bullfight itself is not the only spectacle of this grand event. In addition to the traditional dance between matador and bull, there are a number of special exhibitions, concerts, events, and conferences each day, in addition to letting the bulls run!

Visitors can also take a look at the bulls that will be featured in the bullfights by visiting the Gimeaux corrals. The bulls on display will either be taking part in traditional bullfights, or fights featuring novice matadors, or novilladas.

Although bullfighting is mainly a Spanish tradition, the South of France takes its bullfighting very seriously. On 22 April 2011, the bull games and fights were registered as non-material heritage institutions, making France the first nation in the world to take this unique approach to bull-related festivities.

This year, the Féria de Paques is set to take place starting on Friday, 29 March and ending on Monday, 1 April 2013. There will be at least two bullfights each day at the Arles Amphitheatre.

The French bullfighting season will officially end in September, with the Rice Féria, or Rice Festival.

For more information about attending the Féria de Paques in Arles, visit the official tourism website at http://www.arlestourisme.com/the-ferias.html.

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The South of France event update has been provided by Quality Villas (www.QualityVillas.com), leading specialists in luxury holiday homes in Provence and other popular holiday areas of France.

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