San Fermín
| San Fermín | |
|---|---|
 Town Hall of Pamplona seconds before the initiation of the San Fermín festival with the chupinazo | |
| Official name | San Fermín |
| Also called | Sanfermín, Sanfermines (plural) |
| Main location | Pamplona (Spain) |
| Begins | 6 of July; 12 AM |
| Ends | 14 of July; 12 PM |
The festival of San Fermín is held each year in the city of Pamplona (Navarre, Spain). Other names for the festival are Sanfermines or Sanferminak. It starts at noon on 6 July with the setting off of a rocket. It ends at midnight on 14 July with the singing of the Pobre de Mí. A bullfight is also part of the celebrations. The festival honors Saint Fermin, the co-patron of Navarre. San Fermín has become the most famous Spanish festival. More than 1,000,000 people watch this festival.
The Running of the Bulls is held the 6th - 14th of July every year. By midnight on July 6th Pamplona is already swarming with locals and tourists all waiting for the fireworks display that marks the start of the fiesta.
The day begins with the "encierro" or running of the bulls, when only the brave and foolish dash ahead of the bulls that are let loose to run through the narrow streets to the bullring where they will be fought later in the day. The runners are usually clad in the typical white trousers and shirt, with a red scarf tied at their neck, and a red beret on their head.
Before and after the daily bullfights, held each evening at 6 pm, bands of music, "txistularis", regional dancing and processions with big giant heads roam the streets. The Sanfermines festival of the running of the bulls in Pamplona is not the only one celebrated in Navarre, although it is the most well-known.
