One thing is certain though, the great majority wants to reach these runs, even if they do not have the courage to descend in the middle of the action. If you are one of the thousands tourists addicted to adrenaline, this is the perfect spot for a week filled with action and entertainment. The risks are pretty high, considering that around 200 people are injured each year and 15 died since 1910, when this tradition started. Even so, more and more brave people come to witness the show each year.
The bull running is the main event of the festival, taking place each of the eight days. At 8 AM, 6 big bulls are released on the days of Pamplona and the participants are start running from them. The final purpose is to drive all the bulls in the arena at the end of the course. Although this takes only a few minutes, these are very intense. The participants, most dressed in white with red scarves and mainly young men, try to dodge the bulls as they run. The organizers put barricades on the secondary streets and leave spaces for people to exit. There are certain rules that need to be respected so that everyone will be safe.
The bull running is not the only event of this strange but exciting festival. The day starts with this race, but it continues with many activities that can be just as interesting, even for the people that do not run with the bulls.
The bulls that are taken to the arena are used for bullfights during the day. These are very appreciated by Spanish people, but very contested by animal rights activists. Another interest point is the religious procession that takes place in the honor of San Fermin. In every day of the festival there are many traditional music concerts and theatre representations in the streets of the city.
In the rest of the year, Pamplona is middle sized regular town. To reach Pamplona, you have several options. The first ones are the flights connections. If you can arrive at Madrid or Barcelona, there are regular flights to Pamplona each day. From all the major cities, there are trains and coaches that go the city, but during the festival these are very crowded, so make sure you book your tickets as soon as possible. The trip from Madrid or Barcelona to Pamplona takes between 3 and 5 hours. For accommodation, you have plenty of choices, from expensive hotels to sleeping in parks, which is not advisable at all.
This is one of those events that you have to attend once in a lifetime to see or participate in crazy bull races. If you are one of those tourists that look for adventure and unusual then this is the perfect festival.
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