In Bull Runner's BlogBY ALEXANDER FISKE-HARRISON ON 7/4/14 The most dangerous party on Earth begins each year at midday on July 6th and keeps going without pause until midnight on the 14th At 8am each morning, a herd of six Spanish fighting bulls will stampede through half a mile of streets from the edge of Pamplona to the corrals of the city’s bullring. The herd will then spend the day recovering until the bullfighting begins in the evening, as has happened every year since 1591. Also running in those streets will be between one and three thousand people, in various states of drunkenness, sleeplessness and sheer terror. Since records began in 1923 - which happens to be the year Ernest Hemingway first attended…
In Bull Runner's BlogAlexander Fiske-Harrison is a British author, journalist, conservationist, bull-runner and former bull-fighter. He grew up in England before moving to Spain. He studied large mammal biology and animal behaviour at the University of Oxford. He also trained as a bullfighter in Andalusia with matadors including Juan José Padilla, Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez and Eduardo Dávila Miura. His book Into The Arena: The World Of The Spanish Bullfight was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award 2011, and his story of Pamplona, ‘Les Invincibles’, was shortlisted for The Hemingway Prize 2016 in France. In Spain he has been invited speaker at the Foundation of Taurine Studies, at the University of Seville and for the Ambassador of Spain to…
In Bull Runner's BlogWhether you've just run with the bulls or watched from a Pamplona balcony, you have not only just taken part in a long-running tradition unlike anything else in the world but you have no doubt also worked up a quite an appetite. Here's what you do next: Don't miss the chocolate con churros served at many places on Estafeta street! We guarantee you'll be dreaming about these when you return home. If you don't know what they are, just trust us and order one, or two, or three, or four - you won't be disappointed. You'll also want to pair your churros with a coffee: Cafe Solo (very good normal coffee), Cafe con Leche (with milk, kinda like a latte),…
In Bull Runner's BlogInsider tips on how to run with the bulls Before sharing our tips on how to participate in the Running of the Bulls®, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the history behind this centuries-old tradition. Running with bulls, while not for the faint of heart, was originally born out of a necessity to move the animals from outside Pamplona’s city center to the bullring in town -- something that’s been done since the 13th century. The San Fermin Festival has been held every July since 1592 and the morning bull runs are one of the most highly anticipated events. However, it is not completely clear when citizens began running in front of the bulls rather than behind them. Some records,…
