With only a few hours to go before the chupinazo signals the start of the San Fermin festivities, Pamplona is preparing to become a hive of Navarrese and foreigners who dream of the white uniform and the little handkerchief Red, the hallmark of one of the most popular and renowned festivals in the world. And just a few metres from the old town, in the so-called Corrales del Gas, the true stars of this unique celebration are resting, oblivious to the hustle and bustle: the bulls, the most impressive of the most renowned herds, which will run in the eight morning runs and will be fought in the afternoon in the bullring before the jubilation of 20,000 people packed into the stands between food and drink.
Everything is ready for the start of this particular Olympics of fun: the City Council is responsible for the festival programme, public order and cleanliness; the Casa de Misericordia is responsible for everything related to the bulls, from the installation of the fencing to the bullfights, and the shopkeepers are responsible for keeping their pantry well stocked to serve a hungry and thirsty clientele during endless and exciting days of races and dances.
Everything is ready for the chupinazo to be lit at 12 noon on Saturday 6 July by three members of the Dantzaris de Pamplona group – an entity elected by popular vote – in front of a packed and noisy Town Hall square and officially begin the festival. A municipal notice warns attendees that they will not be able to enter the premises with sticks, glass containers or glasses, unopened beverage cans or any other similar item that could cause damage.
From that moment on, the 514 activities programmed by the municipality will be launched, with a budget of 1,850,000 euros, and which include concerts, music in the streets, fireworks, jotas and bertsolaris.
As in previous years, the Plaza del Castillo will be the nerve centre of the festivities, and there the artists Izaro, Rotten XIII and Chill Mafia, Zetak, Gorka Urbizu and Melenas, El Drogas, La Casa Azul and Maruxak, Belén Aguilera, Foyone and las Ninyas del Corro will take to the stage; and in the Plaza de Compañía, world music and jazz will be heard in a double act with dub, country rock, classical jazz, gospel soul, cumbia, punk, trap, reggaeton, indie and electronic music.
But the main course is served at dawn, when at eight in the morning ― EL PAÍS will begin its daily broadcast at 7.45― , from July 7 to 14, the rocket that opens the doors of the Corrales de Santo Domingo sounds and the running of the bulls begins, -848 meters long, the Cuesta de Santo Domingo, the Town Hall square, the streets of Mercaderes and Estafeta, the Telefónica curve and the alleyway at the entrance to the square-, a route that seems eternal to many, but which usually does not last more than two and a half minutes; a monument to adrenaline, tension, nerves, races, stumbles, falls and the occasional trauma or goring.
As usual, the City Council’s announcement includes various rules for the normal development of the eight races planned, among which it is worth highlighting that minors under eighteen years of age cannot participate, and it is forbidden to remain on the route in a state of intoxication or under the influence of drugs, to use inappropriate clothing or footwear, to carry backpacks, bags, bottles or cameras, or any type of mechanical element to move around (skates, skateboards, bicycles, etc.). And as has been the case since 2005, a non-slip liquid will be spread on the ground in different areas of the route to facilitate the grip of the animals’ hooves and to reduce slips and falls.
In any case, to avoid, if possible, greater evils, the Navarrese health service has set up nine health care posts with medical professionals, nurses and first aid, eight support points, 16 ambulances and the infirmary of the square. They will all be on guard at the foot of a fence made up of 900 posts, 2,700 planks, 2,500 wedges and 80 doors, which began to be assembled on May 31.
And behind the bulls is the owner of the bullring, the Casa de Misericordia (Mecca), an institution that runs a residence that houses 537 people with an average age of 82, and whose livelihood depends largely on the bullfighting profits of San Fermín that come from different sources of income: the bulls announced on the posters arrive in Pamplona several days in advance and rest in the Corrales del Gas, where they can be visited for the price of 3.5 euros for adults and free for children under 12; it costs 12 euros to attend the running of the bulls from the bullring itself and the subsequent bullfighting show on July 7, 13 and 14, and 6 euros for the rest of the fair; 14 euros is the amount you have to pay to see the mid-morning part of the day’s bullfight, and the fair’s season tickets range from 1,196 euros for a shade barrier to 118 euros for a sun terrace. The budget for this year’s Bull Fair is slightly over 4.5 million euros, and the prices of the seats have experienced a weighted average increase of 2.1%, lower than the CPI for 2023, to “preserve the popular character of the festival”, explained Jesús Cía, director of the Meca, on the day of the presentation of the posters. He also stressed that young people, with the 200 euros of the cultural pass, can see the entire fair in the shade, or in the sun, and buy daily tickets for the bull run show.
It is not up to this charity to decide what the person who wants and can afford to watch the bull runs from a balcony along the route must pay, the price of which depends on the location and height. The offer on the internet is varied, and the price ranges from 150 euros for a first-floor apartment in the Plaza Consistorial to 220 euros for Estafeta Street, price per person per day, from 6.55am to 8.20am, with the right to coffee and pastries.
And after the race, lunch, the Sanfermin breakfastto regain strength after getting up early and working hard. For 15 euros – if the visitor has taken the precaution of booking in advance – you can try eggs with potatoes, and choose between lean, pork, chistorra and bacon, and not all bars include drinks, both hot and cold.
In the afternoon, the attention of San Fermín is focused on the bullring. Ten events have been announced, eight bullfights, a bullfight and a bullfight, which will be broadcast on the Onetoro platform. The bullfighter from the region Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza is saying goodbye, and, like last year, Roca Rey is back on the billboards.
Bullring calendar
Friday, July 5th. Bullfight. Jarocho, Alejandro Chicharro and Samuel Navalón (bulls from Pincha).
Saturday, 6. Bullfighting show. Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza, Roberto Armendáriz and Guillermo Hermoso de Mendoza (bulls from El Capea).
Domingo, 7. Diego Urdiales, Fernando Adrian and Borja Jimenez (bulls from La Palmosilla).
Monday, 8th. Juan Leal, Roman and Isaac Fonseca (bulls from Cebada Gago).
Tuesday, 9. The bullfights of the same name are the result of a series of bullfights between the two bulls.
Wednesday, 10th. Miguel Angel Perera, Andres Roca Rey and Tomas Rufo (bulls from Fuente Ymbro).
Thursday 11. Alejandro Talavante, Daniel Luque and Juan Ortega (bulls by Domingo Hernández).
Friday, 12th. Morante de la Puebla, Cayetano Rivera and Roca Rey (bulls from Jandilla).
Saturday, 13th. Rafaelillo, Gomez del Pilar and Juan de Castilla (bulls from Jose Escolar).
Domingo, 14. Antonio Ferrera, Manuel Escribano and Jesus Enrique Colombo (Miura bulls).
Before the curtain of the festivities opens, the City Council appeals to respect, and has included in this year’s decree a new provision under the title Pamplona, proud of its diversity in which it encourages “all people to participate in the Sanfermines in freedom”, and warns that it will not tolerate “any manifestation of LGTBIphobia”. It also invites citizens “to adopt an active attitude towards any type of aggression against women, and to help or support the assaulted woman and isolate the aggressor”.
There are only a few hours left until the opening shot is fired and the Olympic Games of fun are inaugurated. Of course, there is a high probability that it will rain on Saturday, but the rain, if it happens, will only be another guest at this multitudinous and universal celebration.