San Fermín 2026 is underway. Day 6 of 9.
Pamplona’s running of the bulls does not pause for the calendar, and neither does Encierro’s coverage of it. This encierro news July 2026 roundup comes from an editorial team backed by active bull runners who instruct here year-round, because understanding a Saturday morning on Mercaderes means having stood in it. What happened on the course and in the city over the last two days is what every runner needs to know before the next rocket fires.
Fifth Encierro Turns Dangerous as the Escolar Bulls Split Into Three
Diario de Navarra, July 11, 2026
Saturday’s fifth encierro of San Fermín 2026 ran with bulls from the ganadería (bull-breeding ranch) of José Escolar, on a course packed for the fiesta’s only full weekend day. The herd left Santo Domingo grouped behind the cabestros (the trained guide steers that lead the bulls through the route), but broke into three separate groups by the time it reached the bullring, finishing in 2 minutes 36 seconds. The most dangerous moment came on the Mercaderes stretch, where a runner was gored in the face amid a pile of fallen mozos (runners). Fifteen people were treated for injuries across the city’s medical points, including seven transfers to Hospital Universitario de Navarra.
“Un toro ha girado la cabeza y ha podido liarla,” (A bull turned its head and it could have gone very wrong), said runner José Manuel, from Córdoba, describing the danger at Mercaderes. Read the original article.
Municipal Police Fine a Runner Known as “El Joker” for Touching a Bull
Orain (EITB), July 11, 2026
Pamplona’s Municipal Police identified and fined a runner known on social media as “El Joker” for filming with his phone and touching one of the José Escolar bulls during Saturday’s fifth encierro. Police said the conduct violates encierro regulations and endangers both runners and animals. As we reported July 9, Municipal Police have been cracking down on hidden cameras and physical contact with the bulls throughout this year’s fiesta.
Fourth Encierro Leaves a Runner in the ICU With a Collapsed Rib Cage
Noticias de Navarra, July 10, 2026
Friday’s fourth encierro ran with bulls from the ganadería of Álvaro Núñez, of Cádiz, in the ranch’s second-ever Pamplona appearance. The run took 2 minutes 32 seconds and left nine runners injured, six of them transferred to hospitals. Most were discharged the same day, but a 65-year-old man from Castro del Río, Córdoba, remained in serious condition in intensive care after being stepped on in the chest in the callejón (the narrow alleyway connecting the street route to the bullring) by a bull named Gavilán. A 63-year-old man from Zizur Mayor also remained hospitalized with a fractured left hip.
“El estado del paciente es grave al presentar un traumatismo torácico con hundimiento de parrilla costal,” (The patient’s condition is serious, presenting thoracic trauma with a collapsed rib cage), said Dr. Ángel Hidalgo, medical chief of the bullring infirmary. Read the original article.
A Pamplona Photographer’s Encierro Shot Lands on the Washington Post’s Front Page
Diario de Navarra, July 11, 2026
The Washington Post put a photograph of Friday’s fourth encierro on its front page, crediting Navarra-based photographer Miguel Osés, a regular contributor to Diario de Navarra. The image captures the moment an Álvaro Núñez bull tossed three runners into the air on the Mercaderes stretch; none of the three was gored.
Pamplona’s Children Get Their Own Txupinazo
Naiz, July 10, 2026
San Fermín’s Día Infantil programming included a first-ever “txupinazo txiki,” a children’s version of the txupinazo (the rocket that launches San Fermín each July 6) fired from the balcony of Pamplona’s Casa Consistorial. Three elementary students from CPEIP Buztintxuri, Gari Arregui, Ane Loizate, and Ivanna Jiménez, pressed the button together as a packed Plaza Consistorial looked on.
From the Archive
For more on where today’s danger point sits on the course, see our guide to the Mercaderes stretch, the narrow corridor runners crossed today before La Curva.
Compiled by the Encierro editorial team. encierro.com tracks Pamplona’s encierro, its city, and its fiesta year-round, with instruction from active bull runners who have run San Fermín for decades.