Chupinazo Festival / Party July 6

See all 11 photos

Collapse map / See photo gallery

Expand map / See nearby venues

Venues Events

Expand map / See nearby venues

Collapse map / See photo gallery

1 Comment

Add to list

User Comments (1)
Videos

Chupinazo is the opening ceremony of San Fermín and takes place in the Plaza del Castillo. Every inch of the square is gradually filled by a massive crowd that begins to trickle in early in the morning and... ... read more

Address:

Plaza del Ayuntamiento

Chupinazo Videos

Chupinazo - San Fermin

0:00 / 0:00

Chupinazo - San Fermin 153 views

Chupinazo en San Fermín 4,167 views

Chupinazo San Fermin 42,804 views

las fiestas de San Fermín 56,617 views

Chupinazo SAN FERMÍN 2,945 views

y después del chupinazo... ¡Fiesta! 1,884 views

Chupinazo Description

Chupinazo is the opening ceremony of San Fermín and takes place in the Plaza del Castillo.

Every inch of the square is gradually filled by a massive crowd that begins to trickle in early in the morning and continues to gather force until noon, when the palpable energy and excitement reaches its peak. At that point, the mayor of Pamplona gives a rousing speech from the balcony of the Town Hall to the enthusiastic crowd below and fires a rocket to officially start the festival. Thousands of spectators then raise traditional red bandanas (pañuelicos) above their heads, which are worn by almost everyone all week long and are sold on nearly every street corner.

Madness ensues as merrymakers pop open bottles of champagne and wine, spraying their neighbors with foam, pouring wine on their heads, and just getting downright messy. The cheering, singing, and general melee thus sets the tone for the week’s festivities.

Chupinazo User Comments

Keri L. Dec 13, 2012

Something for Americans to remember in Pamplona: Everyone in Spain is the nicest person ever and just wants to PARTY. Don't be scared by the bone-crushing crowds or offended by people dumping water, wine and champagne on you from balconies above, or even the people spraying their neighbors with ketchup and mustard. When in Pamplona, do as the Pamplonians do and GET MESSY! If this festival was in America it would end in a riot, but in Spain you just have to put your arm around the neighbor and learn a traditional song just go with it. My favorite: goes something like this: "Hemos venido emborracharnos, el resultado nos da igual," which basically translates to "We came to get drunk and we don't care what happens." My advice: buy a white t-shirt for the festival (they're all over the city and you can find a fun one for 5 euro) and plan on it getting ruined. Same with your shoes and white pants. Consider them disposable! I have mine from both years and they're like battle flags.