Some people arrive early the morning of July 6 to get their favorite spot, but the Plaza Ayuntamiento really begins to fill up starting around 9:30 am as more people find their way and by noon the crowd fills the small plaza with more than 15,000 festival goers, with 10s of thousands more filling the streets leading … More “El chupinazo”, The Opening Ceremony
Cebada Gago bulls keep up the heat. With a history of 56 gorings in their 29 appearances in Pamplona for the fiesta, there were no gorings this time, but there were 4 serious injuries for the 3rd running of the bulls, Sanfermins 2018.
On July 8, after a rather wet morning for the second encierro, hot air ballons rose into a blue sky over the Plaza del Castillo, the center of the fiesta.
Throughout its long history, the Sanfermines has been interrupted on only a few occasions, and always for political reasons. In 1937 and 1938 it was because of the Civil War, La Guerra Civil (17 July 1936-1 April 1939) and as recently as 1997, when there was a partial suspension of the fiesta following the kidnapping … More Sanfermines ’78
Although not a common sight, El Fandi, Rivera Ordoñez and Padilla have been some of the famous matadors, professional bullfighters, who have run with the bulls in the encierro in Pamplona, a mere 10 hours before facing them in the bullring. Wishing to feel the risk, they blend in with the crowd, going unnoticed except … More Bullfighters and the Running of the Bulls
The Plaza de Toros, which reopened its doors to the public on February 3, for the 2018 season, had more than 380,000 visitors last year, including 320,000 tickets sold during the Feria del Toro and the running of the bulls during Sanfermines 2017.
Sanfermin, 204 Hours of Fiesta … More Hemingway, Pamplona and the fiesta
Dressing for the fiesta, or how to look like a Pamplonica The official dress for all events during the fiesta is the traditional festival costume of white and red: white shirt and pants, red pañuelico (bandana) and red faja (sash). The “official costume”, which is also worn by Pelota players in Navarra and the Basque … More Fiesta, what should I wear?
July 7th is an official religious holiday and the most important day of the Fiesta. At 10:30 on the morning of the 7th, thousands of Pamplonicas, dressed in the traditional costume of white and red, take to the streets to accompany the 15th-century, polychromed, silver-covered statue of San Fermín, clothed in a beautiful cape of … More The Procession of San Fermín
The historical origins of the San Fermín fiesta are difficult to pin down. There are writings from the 13th and 14th centuries that mention the Sanfermines, which, up to the 15th-century, were held in October to coincide with Saint’s birthday on the 10th. But at some time during the 15th-century the fiesta was moved to … More A Brief History of the Fiesta de San Fermín
