The Festival of San Fermín (Pamplona Bull Run)

The Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona is an annual celebration held from 12:00 midnight on the 6th July, when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off the pyrotechnic 'chupinazo', which takes place on the balcony of the Casa Consistorial in Pamplona. Thousands of people gather in the square for the Mayor's official announcement that the fiesta has begun, the fireworks are set off is and the party begins. The fiesta runs until midnight on the 14th July, with the singing of the Pobre de Mí.

The running of the bulls involves hundreds of people running in front of six bulls and another six steers down an 825-metre stretch of narrow streets of a section of the old town of Pamplona.

The run is divided into two legs, the first from the bull pen to Calle Estafeta (iron borders swing across the street separating the 2 legs) and the second from Calle Estafeta to the Bull Ring.

The event begins at 8 a.m. every morning, from 7th to 14th July, when a first firecracker is lit to announce the release of the bulls from their corral. Runners gather in the running area by 7.30am at the beginning of the itinerary to ask for the protection of the Saint by singing a chant three times before a small statue of San Fermin which has been placed in a raised niche in a wall.

A second cracker signals that the last bull has left the corral. The run ends in the Pamplona's bullring taking a mean time of around 3 minutes where the bulls would be held until the afternoons bullfight.

 

Once all of the bulls have entered the arena, a third rocket is released while a fourth firecracker indicates that the bulls are in their bullpens and the run has concluded.

The event is dangerous and since 1925, 15 people have been killed during the event –– most recently on 10 July 2009 and every year between 200 and 300 people are injured during the run although most injuries are due to falls and are not serious. If you fall whilst running in front of the bulls, the recommended defense is to stay down on the ground with your hands on your head.

Watching the Bull Run

If you don't fancy running away from bulls at 8 o'clock in the morning the good news is that you can stand behind the fences that mark the route of the bull run, but you will need to get there by around 6.30am to get a good spot on top of the fence overlooking the run. Another recommended view point is in front of the museum on Calle Santo Domingo, again you need to get there early and prepare to stand around for a few hours.

If you are lucky you might find yourself on a balcony overlooking the bull run. You could always check in the tourist information office on Calle Esclava, 1.

After the end of the run young cows with wrapped horns are released among the crowd who toss the participants, to the general amusement of the crowd.

Bullfight Tickets

The bull fighting arena only holds 12,500 people and tickets for the bullfights are sold out well in advance. Every evening after the day's bullfight some tickets go on sale for the next evening's event. You will find touts selling tickets at elevated prices around the Plaza de Toros during the day and before the bullfight.

 

While its most famous event is the encierro, the running of the bulls, the biggest day is 7 July, when thousands of people accompany a replica of the statue of Saint Fermin along the streets in the old part of Pamplona.

San Fermin is accompanied by dancers and street entertainers, such as the Gigantes (giant-sized figures who represent the King and Queen of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America) and the Cabezudos (the Bigheads).

The week-long celebration involves many other traditional and folkloric events. It is known locally as Sanfermines and is held in honor of Saint Fermin, the co-patron of Navarra.

Its events were central to the plot of The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, which brought it to the general attention of English-speaking people. It has become probably the most internationally renowned fiesta in Spain. Over 1,000,000 people come to watch this festival every year.

To ensure public safety Pamplona Council ask that you observe some simple rules.

It is forbidden to:

Where to Stay

Hotel Accommodation in Pamplona during the festival is very difficult to find especially if you try to book at short notice. If you're planning on going to the bull run you should plan to book a place to stay up to a year in advance. You may also check out some of Pamplona's Hostel Accommodation Pamplona's Hostel Accommodation

An alternative to staying in Pamplona is to stay in a hotel in San Sebastian and make the early morning trip to the bull run from there.

Getting There

To easiest way to get to Pamplona is to book a flight to Pamplona or Bilboa

Then you may be interested in Hiring a car, book a train ticket or book a bus ticket to get to to your final destination.

For more information about the City of Pamplona