About San Fermin Festival

About San Fermin, Pamplona July 6-14, 2008
Click here to see 2007 Tour Photos

According to historians the Sanfermines were not born spontaneously but arose out of the conjunction of three separate fiestas: those of a religious nature in honour of San Fermín and which have taken place since time immemorial, the commercial fiestas organised since the XIVth century and the taurine festivals which were centred around the bullfights, also since the XIVth century.

The Running of the Bulls (aka Pamplona's Bull Run)

The bull run is the most well known act of the San Fermines Festival and the reason why so many strangers make their way to Pamplona every July. Runners race along half a mile of narrow streets that are walled off every morning.  The bulls go from the Santo Domingo corrals to the Bull Ring where (later that afternoon) they are later killed as part of the daily bullfight. A total of six bulls are "run" (as well as two herds of tame steers) through the city center.  The route measures 825 meters (about half a mile).

This dangerous race, which is run every morning between the 7th and 14th of July, begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. Runners are advised, however, to show up at least an hour before. A few minutes before the race is started the runners entrust themselves to San Fermín and sing three times before the St. Fermin statue, which is decorated with the scarves of the peñas (=social groups). The statue is located on the Cuesta de Santo Domingo at the beginning of the route. The chant goes something like this (in Spanish, of course): "We ask San Fermín, as our Patron, to guide us through the Bull Run and give us his blessing."

At 8:00 a.m. sharp the first rocket is launched, announcing the opening of the gates of the small corrals of Santo Domingo, while the firing of the second indicates that all the bulls have left the gates! If there is a big gap between these loud booms, you know there might be trouble this morning!

The Bulls take the following route: they go up the Santo Domingo rise and cross the Town Hall Square in order to run in line down the Calle Mercaderes. A closed curve leads into the Calle Estafeta, the longest part of the route (where you can watch from our balconies) which is followed by a small part of the Calle Duque de Ahumada, also known as the Telefónica stretch. This leads directly to the bull ring and is the epicenter of drama every year. Once all the bulls have entered the bull ring, a third rocket goes up while the fourth and final boom indicates that the beasts have gone into the bullpens and the Bull Run is over.

The run lasts for three minutes on average, which is prolonged if any of the bulls get separated from its pals. Although all the stretches are dangerous, the curve of the Calle Mercaderes and the stretch between the Calle Estafeta and the Bull Ring are the most risky.

All sections of the route are overlooked by a large number of security guards and first aid assistants. However, the danger of the run has meant that since 1924 a total of 14 people have died and more than 200 been injured by the bulls. Nobody has died since 1995 (and American student).

- Nobody under the age of 18 is allowed to participate
- You can't go over the police barriers alongside the route (meaning if you try to go over the barriers, the polic will push you back in unless you are about to get horned).
- You can't hide before the release of the bulls in corners, dead angles or doorways of houses or establishments located throughout the length of the course (=no cowards!).
- You cannot run the route if you're drunk ( and yeah, this one tends to be broken a lot!)
- Don't carry objects which may impede the Bull Run (i.e. backpacks, cameras, etc.)
- Don't wear clothes or shoes which are not appropriate for the run (Americans, don't wear your Tevas!)
- Don't distract or touch the animals in any way during the rounding up in the Bull Ring or during the Running of the Bulls.