PAMPLONA, Spain — One of Europe’s most iconic and controversial cultural events, the San Fermin festival, has drawn to a close, concluding its annual run of daily bull charges through the narrow streets of northern Pamplona with two serious gorings and multiple minor injuries during Tuesday’s eighth and closing event.
The first incident unfolded moments into the 875-meter course, when a fighting bull charged into a clustered group of panicked runners at the opening turn. The animal rammed two participants into the city’s historic cobblestone paving before flipping an 18-year-old Pamplona native over its horns, leaving a deep gash in the teen’s thigh. A second serious injury occurred near the end of the route, where the street narrows as it enters the Pamplona bullring—where the bulls are ultimately slaughtered by professional matadors later each day. A 46-year-old man from central Spain was gored in the chest, requiring immediate emergency transport to a local medical facility.
Beyond the two serious horn injuries, eight additional runners sought outpatient care for less severe harm, ranging from bruising to minor cuts from falls. Notably, one of those treated was an 86-year-old British tourist, highlighting the broad range of participants that flock to the event each year.
This year’s running of the bulls unfolded against a unique milestone: it marked exactly one century since the publication of Ernest Hemingway’s seminal 1926 novel *The Sun Also Rises*, the work that transformed a regional Spanish religious festival into a globally recognized bucket-list event for adventure seekers and culture lovers. The six fighting bulls that participated in Tuesday’s final run, guided by domestic steers, covered the full course in just two and a half minutes—an average speed that often catches participants off guard, especially when more than 1,000 runners are squeezed into the confined, winding street path.
While fatalities are rare—the last death during a San Fermin bull run was recorded in 2009—injuries ranging from gorings to broken bones are a consistent annual occurrence. Event organizers and medical officials note the high rate of injury stems in part from the large share of participants who are first-time runners and international tourists, joining small groups of experienced local runners who run alongside the bulls each year. Many of the less severe injuries come from falls caused by crowds of runners panicking as the animals charge through the streets.