The best gift for someone who ran with the bulls is one that holds on to their morning in Pamplona: a shirt with the date, the ranch and the names of the six bulls they ran with, or a cobblestone from the old town where the fiesta happens. Here is what we would give a runner, from people who run every July, including plenty we do not sell.
What do you give someone who ran with the bulls?
Start with the date. Every morning of San Fermín has its own six bulls from one ranch, and every runner remembers which morning was theirs. Ask, or find the date in a photo, then look it up on our San Fermín by year pages: each one gives the ranch for every morning and, for most years, every bull and its weight, with the year’s poster and the run’s video where one exists.
With the date in hand, these are the gifts that mean the most:
- The shirt of their morning. Our shirts carry one encierro: the date, the ranch and the name of every bull, taken from the Pamplona press of the day. Printed to order and shipped by our print partner. Find the shirt of their morning.
- A piece of the street. A cobblestone (adoquín) from the Casco Viejo, the old town of San Fermín, lifted when its streets were pedestrianized from 1996 and sold through the Museo del Encierro on Calle Mercaderes. We bought the last of them from the museum’s former owners. Each one is numbered, rough cut and one of a kind. Own a piece of Pamplona.
- Their year’s poster. Each San Fermín has one official poster, chosen by the city. It is shown on every one of our year pages and on our page of every San Fermín poster, so you can see which one was theirs before you look for a print.
- A pañuelo with their name. Red pañuelos embroidered with a name or a peña’s emblem are a Pamplona tradition, and a named one is a keepsake no one else has.
A birthday gift for someone who ran with the bulls
For a birthday, pair something to keep with something to read. The shirt of their morning or a numbered stone on a desk lasts for years. A small card with the six bulls’ names from their morning, copied from their year page, makes either one personal.
A gift before someone’s first run
If they have not run yet, the most useful gift is preparation. Our runner-led tours walk the route with people who run it, morning by morning. Add the outfit: a white shirt, white pants, a red pañuelo and a red faja, all easy to buy in Pamplona for a few euros. Our guide to what to wear to the running of the bulls covers each piece.
A gift for a Hemingway reader
Ernest Hemingway first came to San Fermín in 1923 and put the fiesta into The Sun Also Rises in 1926. For a reader who has walked his Pamplona, a cobblestone from the old town he wrote about sits well beside a good edition of the novel.
A bucket list gift
For someone who has the running of the bulls on their list, give the trip a start: a tour date, the outfit, and our guide to running with the bulls. For someone who has already crossed it off, give them proof: the shirt with the bulls of their morning.
Is any of it official?
No. The city does not issue an official running of the bulls shirt or outfit; white and red are a tradition, not a uniform. The one official image is each year’s San Fermín poster. Shops along the route sell it printed on shirts, and it makes a great poster. Our shirts are something else: the morning itself, with every bull’s name.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out which bulls ran on someone’s morning?
Open the year on our San Fermín by year pages and find the date. Each morning gives the ranch and, for most years, every bull and its weight, from the Pamplona press.
Where do your shirts and stones ship?
Shirts are printed and shipped by our print partner to most countries. We do not ship shirts to the UK or the European Union yet. Stones ship from us, insured, within the United States only.
Can a stone be returned?
No. Every stone is one of a kind and sold as is, so all stone sales are final. Shirts can be replaced within 30 days if they arrive misprinted or damaged, with a photo.