SAN FERMIN: The Biggest Party in Spain

Last weekend was San Fermin! It was a much needed weekend of partying and being with other travelers. San Fermin is a festival held in Pamplona, Spain, about a three hour trip away from where I’m staying in Gorliz. It is most famous for the running of the bulls! For me, this weekend was not about the traditional “events” like the bull fighting and running with the bulls, but about meeting up with other travelers and having the opportunity to see a new city with others my own age. It was such a relief to talk with people that spoke English perfectly. I even met two other au pair girls from the States.

I had been planning to meet up with other travelers on Couch Surfers. If you’re not already familiar with this site, it connects people from all around the world. It allows travelers to search for people that are willing to host them for a night or a weekend. The traveler can get a free place to stay as well as meat a local and learn about their city. It is a community based on trust and the common goal of seeing the world, and showing your world to others. I absolutely love it! It also offers a place to create activities and meet ups. This Pamplona “meet up” group of couch surfers had planned where and when to meet on different days.

As I got off my bus, I was twenty minutes early for the meet up so I walked around for a few minutes before just settling in the meet up spot. It took me about ten minutes to realize there were two guys sitting right next to me holding up a little sign facing the other way. “What does your sign say?” I asked. They faced it towards me, “CS”. Couch surfers! And that was the beginning to a great weekend!

The first guys I met were from Argentina and London, then a few minutes later a guy from Michigan, and another from Sweden showed up. We made our way to a four start hotel room. Oh, does that not sound right? That was not a typo.. a group of couch surfers known for staying with people for free stayed at a beautiful four star hotel room. How? On the couch surfers meet up discussion, a fellow couch surfer from Germany was going to stay the night and had booked a hotel room. His flight got canceled and he wasn’t going to make it. It was too late to cancel his reservation so he gave it to couch surfers, for FREE! 

The four boys went to take a nap at the hotel, still exhausted from the night before. I wandered around the crowded streets taking pictures and taking in the sights and entertainment. There were street performers on every corner: dancers, singers, musicians, and other weird little attempts at making some money off the huge amounts of people that come to their city to celebrate (check out the videos below!). Everyone wore white and red (including me). I mean everyone. I saw one or two people that were wearing normal clothes and everyone stared at them. Good thing I googled “what to wear to San Fermin”.

The next meet up, I was the one with the sign. Being the only female couch surfer at the time, my skills at writing “CS” were the highest. Next came two guys from India, an Armenian guy who grew up in Syria but was living in France (that took the whole weekend to get straight), and from there it’s a long list. But at one point there was a group of over twenty also including people from Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Germany, and the States.

Then it was time to get the partying started. With a large bottle of Sangria in hand, we began to have a good time! 

When in Pamplona…

As the night went on, we followed bands through the small and busy streets dancing and drinking! There were water guns filled with wine and beer being squirted into everyone’s mouths. Good luck trying to stay sober at a festival like San Fermin!

I was dancing through the streets and clinging bottles for a cheers with people from all over the world. We were all so different, but had so many common goals. To see the world, meet new people, try new things, and have a great time!

So the next morning I may have missed watching the 7am bull run due to seven people sleeping through three alarms… but like I said, that wasn’t really why I was there!

“We’ll always have Pamplona!”