Spain kicked off one of its most controversial and adrenaline-fueled traditions on Tuesday: the Pamplona bull run — more commonly known as the running of the bulls.
As part of the nine-day San Fermín Festival held every year from July 6-14, the event brings more than a million spectators from across the globe to the city of Pamplona to watch hundreds of brave runners get chased through the streets by six large bulls alongside six calmer steers.
The bulls are released from their corral at 8 a.m. each day from July 7-14. From there, they charge through narrow alleys toward the Plaza de Toros, the city’s bullring, where they are later killed by matadors during the evening’s bullfights.
The runs usually last less than five minutes. Participants and spectators dress in white pants and a white shirt, with a red sash tied around the waist and a red handkerchief tied around the neck. For the participants, it’s a heart-pumping race to avoid the charging bulls — and their sharp horns.
Made internationally famous in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, the bull runs are the main event of the festival, which is dedicated to the city’s patron saint, San Fermín. The tradition dates back to the 16th century, when cattle herders used the bull run route to transport animals from the countryside into the city for bullfights, according to Time magazine.
Still, the excitement doesn’t come without perils.
Dozens of runners are injured every year, with a reported 16 deaths since 1924. On the first day of the bull run this year, five people were reportedly injured, with three of them being hospitalized, highlighting the event’s inherent risks. None of them suffered life-threatening injuries.
Despite the danger, the event’s allure remains undiminished, drawing participants year after year, even amid the controversy it stirs among animal rights groups, who argue the bulls endure severe physical abuse during the run before they’re killed at the bullfights.
Here are some of the tense moments captured on camera during this year’s running of the bulls in Pamplona.
A reveler prays before the first running of the bulls on July 7.
(Miguel Oses/AP)
Participants run ahead during the first running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 7.
(Cesar Maso/Getty Images)
Participants wearing traditional white outfits and red scarves take part in the running with the bulls event on Tuesday.
(Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)
People watch from a balcony during the first running of the bulls on July 7.
(Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images)
Participants fall while trying to run ahead of bulls on Tuesday.
(Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images)
Participants run ahead of bulls from the Fuente Ymbro bull ranch on July 7.
(Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)
A heifer, or young cow, jumps over participants in the bullring as they run and try to dodge the young animal after the first running of the bulls on July 7.
(Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images)
