Do you fancy racing angry bulls around the city? People in Pamplona do! One of the craziest, most unusual and surprisingly dangerous festivities in Spain is San Fermín.
San Fermín is held every year in Pamplona from July 6th to July 14th. San Fermín is Pamplona’s patron saint and in his honour many activities and events are celebrated throughout the week. Although, its most characteristic event, and ´controversial´star of the show, is the Encierro ( the running of the bulls).
For those who understandably can’t imagine the bull run, it is, in essence, a massive group of people,usually men, racing around the windy streets of the city centre alongside a group of bulls. The 875 metre races start every morning of San Fermín at 8am and in total lasts around 2 to 4 minutes. The idea is that every 50 to 200 metres runners hide in specific spots and holes on the route to let the next group of people start the run.
It is very rare that one runner completes the full circuit. The race ends in the main Plaza de Toros (bullring).
Surprisingly, to participate you only have to register for free and ensure you comply with basic safety requirements, like not having consumed alcohol or drugs or to be in the correct physical and mental state to run. The race is supervised by the police and it is crucial you do not touch or aggravate the bulls.
As you are probably imagining… this is quite unsafe! Most years people receive injuries and it is registered that since 1910 there have been 16 deaths, the most recent one being in 2009. The people of Pamplona love San Fermín. Many children have grown up in households watching their dad complete the run and it is deemed an honour and a dream to participate.
San Fermín, as stated before, has a long array of events that create this festival. It kicks off on the 6th with the Chupinazo, the opening ceremony, where a rocket is released to mark the start and it is followed with many celebrations in the street. In the evenings, the bulls who ran the encierro that morning are used for bullfights and the day usually finishes with a firework display. The distinctive dress code and traditional attire is a white outfit with a red scarf and a belt.
San Fermín dates back to the Middle Ages and there is evidence to say that San Fermín began to be honoured by the people of Pamplona in the 12th century. However, it began taking the form we know today in the 16th and 17th century. It gained international attention and fame in 1920 when Ernist Hemingway wrote about it in his novel ‘The sun also rises’.
Naturally, San Fermín has not avoided criticism. The festivity comes under a certain amount of scrutiny and controversy, as it is a very bullfighting heavy event. The welfare of the bulls during both the race and the bullfights in the evening is criticised by many.
San Fermín attracts around 1 to 1.5 million visitors every year, both nationally and internationally. If this is something you would be interested in, please be careful. Many tourists get injured as they truly underestimate how dangerous and fast the bulls can be. Keep in mind, some Spanish and local runners train for years to complete this race properly. Having said this, it is an iconic festival, with an electric atmosphere so we would recommend going to watch if this sounds like your kind of spectacle.
If you want to see a full video, we chatted about San Fermín on our recent show:
