Pamplona's Running of the Bulls 100 Years After Hemingway's 'Fiesta'

The 2026 San Fermín festival began on July 7 in Pamplona, Spain, marking a century since Ernest Hemingway's novel 'Fiesta' (published as 'The Sun Also Rises' in the US) brought international fame to the controversial running of the bulls. Hemingway first attended in 1923 as a correspondent for the Toronto Star, and his 1926 novel defined the 'Lost Generation' while turning a local folk tradition into a global tourist attraction. Americans remain the largest foreign group among participants, making up 15-20% of the million visitors who join the city's 200,000 residents during the eight-day festival. The encierro still follows the same 850-meter course through city streets, ending at the Plaza de Toros where bulls are killed in evening bullfights. Animal rights groups protest annually against the violence, but the tradition persists with minor safety modifications like anti-slip paint on corners. Hemingway's legacy is visible in statues, plaques, and preserved bars like Café Iruña and the Gran Hotel La Perla suite, though his persona has become divisive since the 1970s due to criticisms of his treatment of women and his celebration of bullfighting and hunting. The writer last attended in 1959 and died by suicide in July 1961, days after having a reservation at his usual Pamplona hotel.