San Fermín 1966: The Running of the Bulls
July 6 to 14, 1966. The ancient Ciudadela fortress passes from military to municipal hands.
Curated by Dennis Clancey
· Founder of Encierro, veteran bull runner
0
Encierro Deaths
1966
Year
7 a.m.
Run Time
Looking Back at 1966
Dennis Clancey · Founder, Encierro
Looking back at 1966, the Ciudadela, the old star-shaped fortification that sits at the edge of the old city, was transferred from military to municipal administration this year. On the street, the morning that stands out is July 12, when Diario de Navarra called the Conde de la Corte run one of the finest encierros.
No one died in the 1966 encierros.
Dennis Clancey, Founder, Encierro
1966 in contextThe Ciudadela Returns to the City
The 1966 fiesta opened on July 6 and ran through July 14, with the encierros at 7 a.m.
The Ciudadela, the 16th-century star-shaped fortress at the edge of the old city, was transferred from military to municipal administration in 1966.
Morning by morningEvery 1966 Encierro, Day by Day
The route runs 848.6 metres from Santo Domingo to the bullring. See the route map.
Thu July 7 · First run
María Teresa Oliveira
July 7
1966
The footage above is an archival San Fermín 1966 compilation.
Fri July 8 · Second run
Atanasio Fernández
July 8
Sat July 9 · Third run
Eduardo Miura
July 9
Sun July 10 · Fourth run
César Moreno
July 10
Mon July 11 · Fifth run
Álvaro Domecq (Torrestrella)
July 11
Tue July 12 · Sixth run
Conde de la Corte
July 12
Diario de Navarra called the 12 July run one of the finest encierros.
Wed July 13 · Seventh run
Juan Pedro Domecq
July 13
Thu July 14 · Eighth run
Run 8, Ganadería Not Recorded
July 14
The Stories the Numbers Leave Out
The Ciudadela
The Fortress Returns to the City
In 1966, the Ciudadela, Pamplona’s 16th-century star-shaped fortress, was transferred from military to municipal administration. For centuries it had been a working garrison; now it was becoming part of the city’s civic and cultural life.
San Fermín 1966 Official Poster
Cartel: Nicolás Ardanaz.
The 1966 San Fermín poster was the work of Nicolás Ardanaz, who also designed the 1965 cartel. The poster was produced for the Ayuntamiento de Pamplona ahead of the July fiesta.
The full archive of San Fermín official posters is maintained by the Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, cartel archive.
Beyond the runThe City in 1966
The chupinazo opened the fiesta at noon on Wednesday, July 6. Encierros followed at 7 a.m. through July 14.
The fiesta closed at midnight on July 14 with the Pobre de Mí.
The recordHow 1966 Came Together
1966
The cartel by Nicolás Ardanaz confirmed. The Ciudadela transferred from military to municipal administration.
6 July 1966
The chupinazo opened the fiesta at noon. Encierros were to follow at 7 a.m. through July 14.
14 July 1966
The final encierro completed the 1966 fiesta. At midnight, the Pobre de Mí closed the celebration.
San Fermín 1966, Answered
Was anyone killed in the 1966 encierros?
No. There were no deaths in the 1966 encierros.
What time did the encierros run in 1966?
7 a.m., as they had since 1924. The start time shifted to 8 a.m. in 1974.
Sources
Every fact on this page is checked against these sources. Where sources disagreed, the one closest to the day won.
- El Encierro (magazine) n56, via Dialnet, "Arquitecturas alrededor del encierro (Javier Torrens Alzu)", 2020-06. dialnet.unirioja.es
- Dialnet (José Mª Marco García Mina), "La Casa de Misericordia de Pamplona y su Plaza de Toros. Feria del Toro", 2020-06. dialnet.unirioja.es
- Onda Vasca / Noticias de Navarra, "Entrada de la Comparsa en la Ciudadela, 1966", 2021-11-07. ondavasca.com
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Pamplona recordará a los 16 fallecidos en la historia del encierro con adoquines", 2023-12-27. pamplona.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "The Encierro (Bullrun)". pamplona.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Carteles de San Fermín (cartel archive)". pamplona.es
- Diario de Navarra, "page 1", 13 July 1966. hemerotecadigital.bne.es
What came next
For what followed, see San Fermín 1967, the year of Rafael Moneo’s bullring expansion, or explore the full 1960s archive.