The Running of the Bulls – A Guide

San Fermin is a generational festival held in the streets of Pamplona, Spain, annually in July. Entire families, friends, communities and visitors attend the 8 day long party and revel in the atmosphere. Over the course of the festival hundreds of events are happening, including a parade and procession to honor a Catholic saint, a carnival, musical performances, cultural shows, bull fights, and of course- the Running of the Bulls. The Running of the Bulls happens each morning at 8am on a designated and closed course through the town of Pamplona ending at the bullfighting arena in Plaza de Toros. People train their whole lives for the chance to run WITH the bulls, and it is said that if you are able to smack the bull on the rump as it runs it will bring good luck.

Our Experience:
Colby and I had always wanted to experience this culturally important spectacle in Spain, so for our honeymoon we decided to do just that.
Spanish culture is vibrant, loud and fun, but also relaxed and respectful. We had spent several days in Barcelona and then traveled to Pamplona via bullet train. The countryside rushed past in waves of rolling green hills and small towns, with rivers and lakes dotting the landscape. As we arrived in Pamplona, the party began. We were greeted by waves of serious looking military personnel armed for action, warning away troublemakers from the moment they stepped off the platform. It was pretty easy to take a bus to the city center, since that is where everyone was headed, and off we went. The city center was positively rammed with lively crowds of all ages, and everyone was dressed in their white clothing from head to foot- with a red bandana tied around their neck. We enthusiastically joined them in our matching attire, jumping into the river of people and going wherever the current took us. Larger cobblestone roads funneled into smaller twisty pathways between old stone buildings, and even smaller still alleyways breaking up pubs and cafes from shops and homes. Several stories of residences loomed about us, showcasing garden boxes and balconies outside of picture windows, laundry lines crisscrossing the gaps between buildings. Sometimes, the crowds would stop as a brass band or performance broke out at some random crossroads. We would stop as well and enjoy the show, inevitably getting sprayed with carbonated Kalimotxo coming from the cow bladder pouches slung cross body on the revelers.
We decided to make the most of our experience and do like the locals and attend the bull fight. I was so unprepared. This might seem obvious so some, but I didn’t give it much thought beforehand, and the matadors kill the bulls. Slowly. Its kinda sad. And I know Americans have sad customs too, and I know first hand how people protest American Rodeo, so the social norms are different everywhere and that is fine. But be prepared for it. There is a small chance that a bull that shows significant fight or courage can be saved by the crowds protests. That did not happen to us but I think it would be pretty exciting to see that. If you do choose to go, you have options to sit in the sun or shade. I didn’t get the difference until I found my seat but literally it means you can watch from seats in the shade or seats in the sun. Again seems obvious. What is not obvious is that the sun seats sell out quickly, because that is where the party is. People are drinking and carrying on and spraying each other with the Kalimotxo, which is a mixture of Coke a Cola and red wine. Its pretty gross honestly. Everyone ends up drunk and sticky with red-stained white clothing. In the shade, you get to watch that shit show from afar. You can pick your preference.

We enjoyed the carnival, trying street food and checking out the bars as the energy ramped up for the night. Then came the most spectacular fireworks show we had ever witnessed. It seemed to go on for hours and hours, all around us and right above us, with thousands of other spectators. It was a sight.
At about 2am we decided it was time to go back to the hotel- but there was a small issue. The busses weren’t running and we could not get a taxi no matter how hard we tried. We walked and called and tried everything we knew to do, but I was getting desperate. I saw a surfer looking kid in a van with a surfboard on top and I decided he was my guy. I marched up to him and opened his passenger door and said “I will give you 100 euro right now to take me to my hotel 5 miles from here” He tried to tell me he wasn’t a taxi and I assured him I did not care I would pay whatever he wanted for his kindness and in the end he relented. Thankfully.
What I learned from this experience was to ONLY book accommodations in the city center when attending San Fermin. Thankfully the next two nights I had booked in the city center, I just couldn’t get all the nights at the same hotel because I waited and booked them too close to the event. You can learn from my mistakes there.
Finally, the day arrived that we had planned to participate in the Running of the Bulls. We got up at 5am to prepare ourselves and get into position. Our first stop was a little cafe to fuel Colbys need for coffee and my need for a pastry. The cafe was literally jammed with people still drunk from the night before in search of a caffeine fix. As we waited in line a very old, very round Spaniard said to me “Are you from California?” I was so surprised this drunk man nailed it that I said, “Yes, how did you know?” And then he immediately started serenading me, in Spanish. By the second line of his song the ENTIRE cafe of people had joined in and were singing along to his song, mostly staring at me. I was pretty mortified and Colby was, of course, recording it. What a way to start the day. After that, we walked to the “course” as the Marshalls were setting up the wood and concrete barriers. I thought I had a great idea to start close to the bull fighting arena, so we wouldn’t have that long to run before the end. If you can run and chase the bulls into the arena, you can go inside with them as well, and I thought that sounded great. However, my hopes were dashed when the marshalls started coming by telling the few of us around to “clear the course” because you could not start there. I was panicked that we were going to miss our chance, so I hustled and dragged Colby kicking and screaming back along the route to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, and then I climbed through the slats in the fence and got us back into the throngs. Relief and anxiety gripped me simultaneously as the reality of our future got closer. The square was packed, and surrounding us on all sides and as high as the eye could see were spectators sitting, standing and hanging over balconies, watching the crazy people prepare to outrun an angry 3000- lb animal. I wanted to stay to the left side of the course as much as possible because I had heard the bulls naturally moved to the right when they ran, so that would give us a safer position. I also knew the route was slightly uphill because the bulls have shorter front legs than hind legs and can therefore run uphill fastest. I had learned that the course washout half a mile long (totally manageable under normal conditions) and we had walked the twists and turns already. We had even checked out the bulls in the Corrales de Santo Domingo the night before to get a handle on the competition. From here, it was luck and fate that we didn’t become one of the several deaths each year.

There was music, fanfare, announcements in Spanish I didn’t understand, and then, a hush. BANG! The first rocket went off signaling the start of the race! I knew we had to run right then and I told Colby- “lets go lets go lets go!” And he was just standing there, frozen. The second rocket went off- BANG!- signaling the bulls were now on the course with us. And still he stood there rooted in place as I pulled at his arm. He said later; “I could see over the heads of the crowd, and down the Calle Santo Domingo to where the bulls were housed. I saw people running up the hill towards us as fast as possible, and then, the sea of red and white parted and bulls covered the space, reaching from one side of the street to the other with no safety gap in between. People were literally jumping and diving out of the way, scaling the wooden fencing barricading the course from the spectators” And then he shouted down at me, “RUN!!!” And we ran! Oh my golly we ran. And as my heart rate spiked and my blood sang he suddenly slammed into me from behind, pressing my face up against the thick wooden fence rail, his body and arms completely trapping me there and whispered, “don’t move” and then a millisecond later there they went, WHOOSH, past us so close I could see the imperfections on the long horns of the bull closest to me with complete clarity. We could smell their bodies and feel the angry plumes of breath coming from their nostrils. And just a moment later they were gone around the tight right corner of Dead Mans Curve. I wanted to chase after them and keep going and find them in the arena because I was still high on adrenaline, but Colby said sternly, “No. More. Running.” Even though he was physically fit and very tough, he told me later, “I thought that was it. I was ready to take a horn speared in my back and die to protect you because I thought there was no way to get out of their way and save us both.” So he was a bit shook up. Rightfully so because as we walked off the course we passed several botched people, bloodied and dragged off to the threshold of boarded up shops or propped on the fence being treated by medical personnel. After the chaos of the morning, we stumbled over to the Plaza del Castillo for a well deserved drink and the best Mojito I have ever had. We had done it!

How to attend San Fermin in Pamplona:
You don’t need to take a guided tour or purchase tickets to attend and enjoy San Fermin! You just need some transportation to Pamplona, some white clothes, and a red bandana.

Here are some tips we learned along the way:
1. Book a hotel as close to the city hall as possible, bonus points if you can see the course from your room. Book your accommodations well in advance! Insert Course Map
2. Be patient and respectful with the crowds and the agenda. The festival literally happens in the streets, which means you’re not going anywhere fast. As mentioned, whole families are celebrating together so be prepared to step around grandmothers and weave through babies as regularly as avoiding someone puking in the gutter.
3. You do not need to run with the bulls to get the full experience of the festival! You can spectate, or you can skip it. The festival is so much more than the bulls, and the cultural significance is still worth participating in.
4. If you are running with the bulls, be prepared. Be at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento early, sober, and with the right shoes. Familiarize yourself with the rules and customs of the race and follow the instructions given. Many people train their whole lives for this opportunity so do not be a disrespectful tourist and get in their way or hinder them. Stay to the left of the course if possible so you can be in a safe position. Pay attention to what is going on around you at all times! It takes the 12 bulls 2 or 3 minutes to complete the .5 mile long course, so it’s virtually impossible to beat them. Go in with a plan, including possible escape maneuvers because you WILL be outrun.
5. Decide if you are going to attend a bull fight and purchase tickets as early as possible, especially if you want to sit in Sun seats.
6. You do not have to attend the entire 8 days of the festival, but I think a minimum of 3 days would be nice.
Otherwise just show up with a smile on your face and let the tide of the crowd bring you where you need to go. Follow the ebbs and flows of the days, try not to over plan it. Be satisfied in the fact that you are getting to participate in a time honored tradition of the gorgeous Spanish culture and absorb it into your soul.