The San Fermin Running of the Bulls: Hemingway Made It Famous, Local Ordinance Still Fines You for Carrying a Camera

The San Fermin Festival in Pamplona runs July 6 to 14 each year. The encierro – the running of the bulls through the old city streets from the Santo Domingo corrals to the Plaza de Toros – takes place every morning at 8am sharp for all eight days. Six bulls, six steers, and several hundred to several thousand runners cover 825 metres of narrow cobblestoned streets. The whole thing is over in under four minutes on a fast run.

Ernest Hemingway attended eight times and wrote about it in The Sun Also Rises (1926), which did more to establish Pamplona as a destination than any tourist board effort. His statue stands outside the bullring. The pilgrimage of people who come specifically because of Hemingway continues annually.

What Actually Happens

Registration to run is free and done online through the city of Pamplona’s official website (sanfermin.com). You must be over 18 and sober. A waiver is required acknowledging the risk.

Dress code: traditional white clothing (shirt and trousers or skirt) with a red sash (fajon) and red neckerchief (panuelo). You can buy these in Pamplona; having them in advance is better.

Participants position themselves along the route well before 8am. The rocket signals release. You run toward the bullring. The bulls, which weigh around 650 kilograms and run at up to 30 km/h, can be anywhere from immediately behind you to a corner away. The steers (who run with the bulls to guide them) are typically faster. If a bull separates from the herd it is more dangerous than the group. If you fall, stay down and do not get up until the herd has passed.

Since records began in 1910, 15 people have been killed in the encierro. Approximately 200 to 300 people are treated for injuries each year.

Watching Rather Than Running

The barrier sections along the route sell out months ahead. The upper balconies of buildings along Estafeta Street, the longest straight section of the route, are rented by the night for viewing. Many visitors never run but stay for the full festival, which involves peñas (social clubs) parading through the city, music in the streets, and fireworks at midnight from the Ciudadela park each night.

Beyond Pamplona: Bull Running Elsewhere in Spain

Other significant encierros occur in Tafalla (Navarra), Cuellar (Segovia, in August, one of the oldest on record), and in various towns throughout the Rioja and Castile regions during local patron saint festivals in summer. These are smaller, less international, and often more chaotic than Pamplona, which is either a recommendation or a warning depending on your perspective.

Pamplona Beyond the Festival

The walled old city of Pamplona has genuine medieval architecture independent of the festival context. The citadel (Ciudadela), a 16th-century star fort, is now a public park. The Museum of Navarra in a converted 16th-century hospital has an art collection and exhibits on the Roman and medieval history of the region. The Basque Country and the Rioja wine region are both within 90 minutes by road, making Pamplona a practical base for a wider northern Spain itinerary.

Getting There

Pamplona has an airport with seasonal direct connections from Madrid, Barcelona, and London. From Madrid by train via Zaragoza takes about 3.5 hours. Book accommodation months ahead for the San Fermin period; everything in the city fills within hours of availability opening.