Every July 6th, Pamplona, Spain, plunges into nine days of revelry. The highlight of this celebration is the world-famous Running of the Bulls Festival, also known as Los Sanfermines.
◦ The Origin of the Los Sanfermines
Since nearly every town in Spain has its patron saint, specific festivals have been established in various regions to celebrate and seek blessings. In Pamplona, the Festival of San Fermín is held to honor the local patron saint, San Fermín. The Running of the Bulls is one of the events during the festival, and it is accompanied by the renowned tradition of bullfighting.
The mayor will ignite the firecracker from the balcony of the city hall at noon on July 6th, officially declaring the start of the San Fermín Festival. Before the festival ends, citizens and tourists from all over the world will spend each day indulging in copious amounts of champagne and experiencing intense inebriation.
◦ Stay Alert!
However, the main event of running with the bulls, which commences at eight in the morning, requires participants to be completely sober due to the life-threatening risks involved. Before the event begins, the pathway from the bullpens to the bullring is jam-packed with people. Everyone participating in the bull run dresses in white, tied with a red scarf and belt, while praying to San Fermín for protection.
Although bull runs typically conclude within a matter of minutes, out-of-control situations are not uncommon, and tragic incidents of injuries and fatalities occur annually. If you want to experience the event up close in a safer manner, it is undoubtedly a worthwhile deal to spend some money to rent a balcony from local homeowners for a closer look at the running of the bulls!