What is the Running of the Bulls® or “Encierro?”

Made famous world-wide in 1926 by Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Sun Also Rises”, the Running of the Bulls® in Pamplona, Spain is just one of the numerous festivities celebrated during the San Fermin Fiesta. This is the focal point of the festival for most visitors. The Running of the Bulls®, or Encierro, began in the 17th or 18th century and is derived from the need to run cattle from outside the city into the market. Along the way, this became a sort of competition and the Bull Run we know today.

The Running of the Bulls® takes place daily at 8:00 a.m. from July 7th through July 14th and usually lasts less than five minutes. The Bull Run Route is 826 meters (0.5 miles) in length, beginning on Santo Domingo and ending at the Bull Ring.

» Find out more about the Festival of San Fermin.