The famous San Fermín festival in the city of Pamplona, Navarre, northern Spain, returned this year after local officials called it off in 2020 and the following year because of the COVID-19 pandemic — the first time the festival was cancelled since Spain’s civil war in the 1930s.
People from around the world flock to the city of around 200,000 residents to test their bravery and enjoy the festival’s mix of round-the-clock parties, religious processions and concerts.
READ ALSO: Five in hospital as Spain’s Pamplona bull run returns
The festival, which dates back to medieval times, also features concerts, religious processions, folk dancing and round-the-clock drinking.
But the highlight, of course, is is the bracing daily test of courage against a thundering pack of half-tonne, sharp-horned bulls.
Every day at 8:00 am, hundreds of daredevils race with six fighting bulls along an 850-metre (2,800-foot) course from a holding pen to Pamplona’s bull ring, which this year marks its 100th anniversary.
READ ALSO: Three gored at Pamplona’s fifth bull run
The bravest — or most foolhardy — run as close as possible to the bulls’ horns, preferably without being gored.
Sixteen people have died in the bull runs since 1910. The last death occurred in 2009 gored a 27-year-old Spaniard in the neck, heart and lungs.
The Local has put together some of the best pictures so you can safely enjoy the festival from the comfort of your own home.
Member comments