Made world famous by Hemingway in his The Sun also Rises, the Feria and the Encierro of Pamplona aren’t the only ones of their kind, but they surely are the most spectacular: if for no other reason because of the huge number of participants from all over the world. “Encierro” can be translated into English as “cattle transfer”, and in fact that it is: 6 bulls have to be moved from their corral to the Plaza de Toros, where hours later the Corrida will take place. This route spans for 825 meters (or about half a mile) through the old town of Pamplona.

Bulls are the real heroes of Corridas, and Spaniards always treat them with the appropriate respect and honour. And because some of them have to be moved from one end of the town to the other, many like to escort them. Now, because bulls run during this transfer, then the escort has to run with the bulls. And this is what happens: every morning several thousands of people run together with 6 bulls (and 8 oxen) along the legendary track of the Encierro, among the cobbled streets of Navarra’s capital city. Bulls aren’t there with the intent of goring or trampling their escort, but that happens. Mostly because the humans -very many for those little streets-, bump each other, fall, trip up the next person coming and pile up, thus blocking the way of the incoming bull (weighing an average of 570 kilos racing at 25 km per hour). The race is an average of 2 and half minutes of pure adrenaline, during those anything could happen, providing everybody with the extraordinary energy that pulses over the whole town, and that shows in full during the different phases of the 9-night-and-day long party that takes place.

There are only two ways to be in Pamplona those days: in front of the bulls (i.e.: running with them) or above the bulls (i.e.: watching from some balcony to see what is happening below). In both cases you’ll be stricken by something: the lucky ones not by a bull.

The same evening the bulls that had been racing in the morning take part in the Corrida. This is the other solemn bull-related event of the Fiesta of San Fermin. The rest is fun filled with “dance”, “music”, “food”, and, rather obviously, “alcohol”, that contributes quite a lot in the Pamplona’s euphoria. Strict police controls prevent the drunk from running the Encierro: they would be a danger to themselves and all the mate runners.