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How does a traditional Spanish bullfight unfold from start to finish?

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Julian Lopez El Juli, dressed in a blue and gold bullfighter costume, faces a charging bull while holding a pink and yellow cape in a sandy bullring in Barcelona. — bullfighting Spanish matador El Juli engaging a bull, June 6, 2010, Barcelona.

A traditional Spanish bullfight, or corrida, is a highly ritualized spectacle divided into three distinct acts, or tercios, overseen by a presiding official who signals each phase with a white handkerchief.1

The Opening

The event begins with a procession (paseo) of the participants, including matadors in their ornate traje de luces, banderilleros, and picadors. Once the bull is released from the toril, the first act commences.1

Act One: The Picadors

The matador and banderilleros test the bull’s temperament with large capes. Subsequently, picadors on horseback enter to lance the bull’s neck muscle, which serves to weaken the animal and ensure its head remains low for the final kill.12

Act Two: The Banderillas

During the second act, banderilleros plant three pairs of banderillas—barbed, decorated sticks—into the bull’s shoulders to further weaken the neck muscles.2

Act Three: The Faena and Kill

In the final act, the matador performs a faena using a small crimson cape called a muleta. After demonstrating mastery through close passes, the matador attempts the "moment of truth," thrusting a sword between the bull's shoulder blades. A puntillero ensures the animal's death, and the matador may be awarded ears or a tail based on the quality of the performance.3