By Mike McDougall

Known locally as “Sanfermines”, this raucous festival takes place in the Basque town of Pamplona between July 6th-14th in honour of the city’s patron saint, San Fermin. It is the most popular and most famous of all Spanish fiestas and is known throughout the world and visited each year by thousands of foreign tourists. This fame is down to the infamous “Encierro” or the “Running of the Bulls”, a dangerous tradition where thousands of locals line the streets of Pamplona’s old town and run the gauntlet will six half ton bulls over an 800 metre stretch. There is much more to the festival than just the “Encierro” and they include a lot of other ancient traditions as well as a fair dose of drinking and partying.