Every July, a quiet Spanish city of 200,000 people turns into a one-million-strong street party overnight. That city is Pamplona. And the reason? The San Fermin Festival 2026, running from July 6 to July 14, the festival celebrates Saint Fermín, who is known as the city’s first bishop and patron saint. People fly in from every corner of the world for this. Some to watch. Some to run. All of them, to experience something they’ll never forget.
What exactly is the San Fermin Festival?
Most people know it as “the bull run.” But that’s just one part of a much bigger party. Every year, The San Fermin Festival is held in the city with about 400 events, such as parades, competitions, live music performances, fireworks shows, cultural events, and fun activities for children.
So yes, even if running alongside six fighting bulls isn’t your idea of a good time, there’s still plenty to do.
How did this festival even start?
The celebration has its origins in two different medieval events. Commercial secular fairs were held at the beginning of summer. As cattle merchants came into town with their animals, bullfighting came to be organized as part of the tradition.
And the bull run itself? The tradition of running of the bulls dates back over 400 years. The town’s butchers had to move bulls from ranches outside Pamplona into the town. They hired bull minders to accompany them. Young butchers began running in front of the bulls to make them run faster — and it soon turned into a competitive event with many locals joining in.
Ernest Hemingway made it famous worldwide. He fell in love with the Fiesta de San Fermín when he attended in 1923 and came back in 1924 and 1925. He then wrote a novel about it, The Sun Also Rises. That book basically put Pamplona on the global map.
How does the bull run actually work?
Six Spanish fighting bulls, along with six steers, run from the Corrales de Santo Domingo to Pamplona’s Plaza de Toros bullfight arena.
The run covers 825 metres of narrow streets. It ends in Pamplona’s bullring. That’s less than a kilometre. Sounds short. But try running it with bulls behind you.
At precisely 8 AM, the bulls are released onto the street. Those minutes are something else entirely.
Everything to know about the San Fermin Festival 2026 schedule
Here’s the San Fermin Festival 2026 schedule.
July 6 — Opening day. At noon, the Chupinazo opening ceremony takes place at Plaza Consistorial. There’s also a Giants and Big Heads parade through the city centre at 4:30 PM and bullfights on horseback at 6:30 PM.
July 7 — The first bull run starts at 8:00 AM at Santo Domingo street. The Procession of San Fermin follows at 10:00 AM. The first traditional bullfight at Plaza de Toros is at 6:30 PM. The most crowded day of the entire festival.
July 8 to July 13 — Bull runs happen every morning at 8:00 AM. Bullfights take place every afternoon at 6:30 PM. An international fireworks competition lights up the sky every night at 11:00 PM.
July 14 — Final day. The last bull run in the morning. At midnight, the emotional Pobre de Mí closing ceremony takes place at Plaza Consistorial.
What is the Pobre de Mí closing ceremony?
After nine days of partying, the people of Pamplona meet in the City Hall Plaza at midnight on July 14, singing the traditional notes of “Pobre de Mí” — which means “Poor Me.” The city mayor closes the festival with participants lighting a candle and removing their red handkerchiefs as the song plays, followed by a fireworks display.
It’s one of the most emotional moments of the entire festival. A million people, candles in hand, singing goodbye to nine days of madness. Even people who aren’t from Pamplona say it hits harder than they expected.
What do people wear at the festival?
The attire for everyone attending the San Fermin Festival 2026 is a uniform of white pants and white shirt, with a red pañuelo (bandana) and faja (sash).
Tradition holds that you put on the pañuelo and faja at noon on July 6 and don’t take them off until midnight on July 14. Everyone wears it — in bars, restaurants, bull runs, everywhere. If you show up without it, locals will notice. And yes — you might get sangria poured on you as a friendly reminder.
Is the San Fermin Festival 2026 only about the bull run?
San Fenin is beyond bull run. Over nine days, dressed in traditional white costumes with a red kerchief, Visitors fully embrace festive atmosphere. The band La Pamplonesa fills the streets with music, and the Comparsa de Gigantes y Cabezudos — a traditional parade featuring large, oversized figures, marches alongside bagpipers.
There’s food, wine, dancing, live music, fireworks every single night, and the kind of general joy that’s hard to find anywhere else on earth. The bull run lasts three minutes. The party lasts nine days.
Final thoughts
The San Fermin Festival 2026 is one of those events you either watch on a screen and think “that looks insane” — or you go, and spend the rest of your life talking about it. July 6 to July 14, Pamplona, Spain. Over one million people attend each year. Book early if you’re planning to go. Hotels and balcony spots sell out months in advance.
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