At Your Own Risk - The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona

We paused our Northern Spain and Madrid trip for this event, which was the main reason we planned the entire vacation. We traveled from the Rioja wine region and reached Pamplona just after lunch, on the eve of the Opening Day Ceremony (Chupinazo) of the Festival of San Fermín, which takes place every year on July 6^th. The four of us were accommodated in two different hotels in Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) because our initial choice, the Hotel Maisonnave, was fully booked months before the event and we were unable to secure a second room. The city was already under lockdown, causing a slight delay in reaching the second hotel, the Pamplona Catedral. The hotels were close by, and both had very small rooms. Our rates were extremely high due to the event's significance. Our room at the Maisonnave did not match the size and layout shown in their photos. We changed rooms after the first night and received a partial refund from booking.com for that night after returning home. I must say that the staff was excellent and very helpful. The hotel provides a private underground parking nearby where we left the car for three days.

That afternoon, we began exploring the city and went to check out the balcony we had reserved for the Opening Day Ceremony, located right in the heart of the action at Plaza Consistorial (Town Hall Square). During our outing, we stopped at Plaza del Castillo, Pamplona's main square, and enjoyed drinks at Café Iruna, one of Hemingway’s favorite places. We returned to our hotel later that night and found the outside area bustling with activity. We discovered that many peñas gather there during San Fermin. A peña is essentially a social club or group of friends who come together to eat, drink, sing, and celebrate the festival. They have their own banners, T-shirts, music bands (charangas), and often a "headquarters" bar where they meet. 

We reserved our balcony for Chupinazo several months in advance through a local company called Destino Navarra. That morning, we met our contact, Mikel Ollo, at the Hotel Tres Reyes and walked to our balcony with one of his assistants. To our surprise, we weren't informed that glass bottles were prohibited near the Town Hall Square, so a policeman had to escort us to the entrance of our balcony’s building, as our champagne bottle was not allowed through the checkpoint. It was quite an experience to have a police escort for a few minutes amidst thousands of people. Our balcony, located on the top floor, offered a fantastic view of the townhall. The apartment owners leave for a few hours and profit by renting out their place. We had three balconies for six adults and a few kids. We were very fortunate. Three people attended to our group: a representative from the travel agency, someone handling our food and drinks, and a cook preparing our tapas in the kitchen. We spent almost three hours watching the lively crowd and enjoying the food and drinks. Below us, thousands of people dressed in white were drinking sangria and playfully throwing it at each other in a festive atmosphere. During the nine days of San Fermin, it's customary to wear white clothes, red scarves, and a sash. The official start of San Fermin is at 12:00 noon when people raise their red scarves and cheer. After this, you can officially wear the scarf around your neck. We had a lot of fun; it was the wildest party we had ever witnessed. On our way back to the hotel, we got splashed with some sangria, but we managed to keep our white clothes clean.

In the late afternoon, we strolled around the Old Quarter to locate the balconies we had reserved for the upcoming event: the Running of the Bulls. Our spot was just above a Burger King, overlooking Dead Man’s Corner, the most dangerous part of the route known for serious injuries or fatalities. Later that evening, we dined at La Tagliatella, a good Italian restaurant in Plaza del Castillo. The chain has 230 locations across Spain and Portugal. Some younger diners at nearby tables were so tired that they dozed off during their meal. 

The Running of the Bulls (Encierro) races every morning at 8:00 AM from July 7 to July 14, so there are 8 consecutive runs in total. We were able to access our balcony more than 30 minutes before the race. Same setup with the balcony as the previous day, except they only serve coffee and a light breakfast. The streets were already extremely busy with everybody wearing their whites. Participants of the run were warming up as the well-trained police force was containing the crowd. Pavements were being pressure washed before and after the race. The cleaning process is fascinating to watch. As they did the previous day for Chupinazo, they show up in force with trucks and clean all the streets in a few minutes.

The run kicked off at 8:00 a.m. sharp, with six bulls from the renowned Fuente Ymbro ranch leading the charge. Despite wet, slippery cobblestones from earlier rain, the run was notably fast and thrilling, clocking in at approximately 2 minutes 22 seconds. The herd stayed remarkably cohesive until a steer stumbled early in the run, causing three bulls to fall and momentarily disrupting their formation. Everything goes extremely fast. Our balcony had a great view, so we saw them coming straight at turning at Dead Man’s Corner.

The race is shown live daily on Spanish television for an hour. They have dozens of cameras, analyze it and receive live reports for the medical team explaining the gravity of each injury and the status of the wounded person. Thankfully, there were no gorings reported. However, five people sustained bruises and another was treated for a leg injury. Not bad considering that around 2,500 runners braved the course. 

After the run, we had a couple of hours to unwind before the Procession of San Fermín, which traditionally occurs on July 7^th following the first Encierro. The procession starts at Iglesia de San Lorenzo, where the statue of San Fermín is kept throughout the year. The image of the saint is carried out in a gilded reliquary, accompanied by clergy, city officials, Giant Figures (Gigantes), Big-heads Cabezudos), and marching bands playing lively music. The Giant Figures include eight towering figures (about 13 feet tall) representing the four continents known in the 19th century when they were created (a king and a queen for Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas). The Big-heads are characters with oversized papier-mâché heads. The procession winds through the streets of the Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) before reaching the Pamplona Cathedral, where a solemn mass is held. After the mass, the procession returns via a similar route to San Lorenzo. It’s a very welcoming atmosphere with many locals (Pamploneses) gathering with their families. After a busy morning, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch at a terrace in Plaza del Castillo.

The end of our afternoon was already planned. After many considerations we had bought tickets for the afternoon’s bullfight (Corrida). It is held at Plaza de Toros, the second-largest bullring in Spain (after Madrid’s Las Ventas). Built in 1922, it holds around 20,000 spectators. We passed by Ernest Hemingway’s statue, which stands just outside the arena. It was inaugurated in 1968, seven years after Hemingway’s death. Our tickets were on the shaded side. When you climb to your seats you start hearing the peñas (local clubs) with their bands playing loudly. They all play at the same time making it feel like a huge street party in a cacophonic way. An interesting fact is that the same bulls that run in the morning Running of the Bulls are used in the corrida that afternoon. Each of the six bulls is fought in succession by three matadors. Unlike the morning run, where the bulls are admired for their power and speed, the corrida always ends with the death of the bull, unless the crowd petitions for a rare pardon (indulto), sparing its life. The meat of the bulls is traditionally butchered and sold, often eaten locally during the festival. You can bring your own drinks and food to the corrida. It is a big social event.

We had dinner at the Catedral Hotel. The area was not as busy as the previous days. That was a great way to end our three busy days in Pamplona with a little bit of calm.

It's hard to recap our stay as we had so many great events and memories in just a few days. I would definitely recommend booking your balconies months in advance with Destino Navarra. Mikel was great during the planning and during the different events. The Festival of San Fermín has so many more festivities that we would like to attend, and we'll have to come back in a few years and do it all over again. That should tell you how much fun we had!