Spain's cancelled bull-running fiesta leaves streets empty, feelings mixed

November 26

07/07/2021 17:17

By Susana Vera and Guillermo Martinez
    PAMPLONA, Spain, July 7 (Reuters) - In a normal year, the
streets of Pamplona would have been packed on Wednesday, with
white clad revellers celebrating Spain's San Fermin bull-running
festival.
    But they were quiet, after authorities cancelled the fiesta
for the second year in a row - the first such occurrence since
Spain's civil war in the 1930s - over COVID-19 concerns.
    Immortalized in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also
Rises", the eight-day festival draws hundreds of thousands of
people from across the globe each July to drink, dance and run
with the bulls.
    After cancelling it in 2020 as Europe reeled from a first
wave of infections, organisers decided in February that resuming
the fiesta this year posed too great a risk.
    Veteran bull-runner Antonio Manzanera, 55, from the
southeastern region of Murcia said he felt an "immense sadness"
at the cancellation. 
    "Running is what we like the most...But we understand that
due to the pandemic it has been cancelled, and we came with the
same hopes this year and next year we will continue."
    Local businesses, some of which rely on San Fermin for up to
a fifth of their annual income, were struggling.
    "The streets are empty, the balconies are empty," said
Roberto Bueno, owner of a traditional cafe in Pamplona's old
town, recalling how in previous years the queue outside it would
stretch down the street.
    But for others, another bull-free San Fermin is a cause for
celebration.
    "There will be no bullfights in the city, which fills us
with satisfaction. We believe they are not necessary to enjoy
the festival," said animal rights group AnimaNaturalis.

 (Writing by Nathan Allen; editing by John Stonestreet)
 ((n.allen@thomsonreuters.com; +34 617 792 131;))