PAMPLONA, Spain — This year’s San Fermin festival is fit for anything. Including outfitters offering packages for running with the bulls and bullfighting side-trips. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ernest Hemingway’s book “The Sun Also Rises,” which put Pamplona on the map.
Hemingway first attended the festival in Pamplona, Spain, on July 7, 1924, accompanied by friends. He was immediately captivated by the life-and-death drama of the bullfights, the bravery of the matadors, and the energetic, hard-drinking culture of the celebration. These annual trips provided the core setting and inspiration for his breakthrough work. Today, the festival consists of eight consecutive morning bull runs, beginning on July 7. Thousands of participants pack the cobblestoned streets of Pamplona to scramble out of the way of a pack of charging bulls. The run spans roughly 875 meters (about 960 yards) through the old quarter of the city, culminating in the bullring. The run is inherently dangerous, with participants regularly suffering gorings and severe injuries.
