Pamplona’s San Fermín festival officially ends with the mournful Pobre de Mí ceremony, but there are a few more unofficial traditions that close out Spain's favorite fiesta. For example, on July 15th, the streets come alive one last time for the "Villavesa" Run, a fun tradition where locals demonstrate their die-hard love for the festival by lining up for one final "bull" run - which doesn't involve any actual bulls.
The Villavesa Run, or "Encierro de la Villavesa," began on July 15, 1984. After a week of intense celebration, a group of high-spirited locals decided to keep the festive spirit alive a little longer. Seeking just one more high-adrenaline run, the friends challenged themselves to outrun the first urban bus of the day on the traditional encierro course. When a bus from the local public transport company, called "Villavesa," started its route in the early morning, dozens of young people jogged in front - singing, dancing, and drinking the whole way down the road as the bus followed behind. What started as a spontaneous act of post-festival fun quickly grew into an annual tradition.
By 1990, the event had become so popular that Pamplona City Transport had to reroute the early bus to ensure safety. Without a bus to run in front of, the race took on a new form: participants now run through the streets in the early morning in front of bicyclers or cars, or in front of people pushing decorated grocery shopping carts or dressed as bulls. Stumbling down the bull run course while singing, cheering, and laughing together, these runners say a final drunken, bitter-sweet goodbye to fiesta. Check it out along the bull run route at around 8:00am on July 15th!