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From 6 to 14 July Pamplona celebrates the festivals in honour of San Fermin, its patron saint, immortalised by Ernest Hemingway in his book “Fiesta”.
On 6th July with the starting rocket more popularly known as the Chupinazo, the city gets dressed in red and white to enjoy the most international festival in the country. The big day is the 7th July when thousands of people accompany the image of San Fermin through the streets of Pamplona, amidst dancing by the troop of carnival figures known as the Comparsa de Gigantes y Cabezudos.
A Fiesta that combines the religious and the pagan, the focal point of San Fermin is the “encierro” (running of the bulls). Every day at eight in the morning scores of young lads run in front of the bulls who will fight in the ring that afternoon.
After 9 days of celebrating, the people of Pamplona come together in the Plaza Consistorial (Town Hall Square) to sing the traditional “Pobre de Mi” (Woe is me!), marking the end of the festival.
For some decades now, this local festival as become a mass phenomenon as people come from all corners of the planet and the city is transformed into a cosmopolitan metropolis for eight days of festival. The “encierros” (running of the bulls) and the bullfights are the most popular events although what most attracts people is the festive atmosphere of music and colour.
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