The festival of San Fermín in Pamplona is a very popular annual celebration held annually from 6 July. Over 1 million people each year participate in this unique festival. It has become probably the most internationally renowned fiesta in Spain.
What date is the The San Fermín Festival 2020 ?
The fiestas are celebrated in honor of San Fermin, patron saint of Navarra, although the religious aspect would seem to have taken on a secondary role over the last years.
The person who sets it off is decided by the city mayor. It is usually done by a person from the different city council political groups or with some non-politicians which performed significant achievements during the year in the local area.
Every day of the San Fermin Festival, in the morning, there is a unique parade of giants and big heads (gigantes y cabezudos). The 8 giants figures were built by the painter from Pamplona and it is a tradition that lasts for more than 150 years.
These eight giant figures represent four pairs of kings and queens of four different races and continents – Europe, Asia, America and Africa.
During the festival, there are numerous exhibitions and competitions of the local sports every morning in the square close to the city citadel. Sports include stone or hay bale lifting or woodcutting. Betting is common during these events as well.
Bullfight and Bull-running in Pamplona
The worldwide popularity of the San Fermín festival, especially to the English-speaking countries, was brought by Ernest Hemingway. He described the event in his book The Sun Also Rises and also made reports as a journalist.
The running of the event of the bull is quite dangerous. Since 1925, 15 people have been killed during the event. Each year between 200 and 300 people are injured during the bull-running event.
The run ends in Pamplona’s bullring where the bulls are held until the bullfight when they would be killed. Tickets for this event are hard to find since the bullring of Pamplona is the 4th largest in the world.