San Fermín 1978: The Running of the Bulls
July 6 to 14, 1978. Pablo Romero and Fermín Bohórquez ran the first two mornings. After a fatal incident on the evening of July 8, the fiestas were suspended.
Curated by Dennis Clancey
· Founder of Encierro, veteran bull runner
0
Encierro Deaths
2
Mornings Without an Encierro
Bohórquez
July 8 Ganadería
8 a.m.
Run Time
Looking Back at 1978
Dennis Clancey · Founder, Encierro
Looking back at 1978, the record of the runs is short. Pablo Romero bulls ran on July 7 and Fermín Bohórquez on July 8. After a fatal incident on the evening of July 8, the fiestas were suspended, and El País reported no encierro on the mornings of July 9 and July 11. No one died in the 1978 encierros.
Dennis Clancey, Founder, Encierro
1978 in contextThe Fiesta Suspended
The 1978 fiesta opened on July 6, though the chupinazo was fired from the first floor rather than the traditional second-floor balcony. The encierros that were held ran at 8 a.m. (the start time had been moved from 7 a.m. in 1974).
After a fatal incident on the evening of July 8, the fiestas were suspended. El País reported no encierro on the mornings of July 9 and July 11, and the corrida of July 11 was suspended minutes before it was due to begin. The suspension of the fiestas became official on July 11.
Two encierros ran as planned in 1978. After the evening of July 8, the fiestas were suspended, and the week did not finish as programmed.Morning by morning
Every 1978 Encierro, Day by Day
No encierro deaths. There was no encierro on the mornings of July 9 and July 11, El País reported. The route runs 848.6 metres from Santo Domingo to the bullring. See the route map.
Fri July 7 · First run
Run 1, Pablo Romero
July 7
Sat July 8 · Second run
Run 2, Fermín Bohórquez
July 8
Evening of July 8
After a fatal incident that evening, the fiestas were suspended.
Sun July 9 · No encierro
No Encierro on July 9
July 9
There was no encierro on the morning of July 9, El País reported.
Mon July 10 · Third run
Run 3, Ganadería Not Recorded
July 10
No source found names the ganadería for this morning.
Tue July 11 · No encierro
No Encierro on July 11
July 11
There was no encierro on the morning of July 11, El País reported. The corrida that afternoon was suspended minutes before it was due to begin.
Wed July 12 · Fourth run
Run 4, Ganadería Not Recorded
July 12
No source found names the ganadería for this morning.
Thu July 13 · Fifth run
Run 5, Ganadería Not Recorded
July 13
No source found names the ganadería for this morning.
Fri July 14 · Sixth run
Run 6, Ganadería Not Recorded
July 14
The Stories the Numbers Leave Out
The first morning
Pablo Romero Opens the Week
Pablo Romero bulls ran the first encierro of 1978 on Friday, July 7, at 8 a.m. The second morning, Saturday, July 8, belonged to Fermín Bohórquez.
July 11
A Corrida Called Off at the Last Minute
There was no encierro on the morning of July 11, and the corrida that afternoon was suspended minutes before it was due to begin, El País reported.
Official Poster: San Fermín 1978
Cartel: José Mª Nebreda.
The 1978 San Fermín poster was the work of José Mª Nebreda, who would also design the 1981 poster. The cartel 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 1978
The chupinazo opened the fiesta at noon on Thursday, July 6, fired from the first-floor balcony of the town hall rather than the traditional second floor.
The corrida of July 8 was held. After a fatal incident that evening, the fiestas were suspended, and the 1978 fiesta did not close with its usual festivities.
The recordHow 1978 Came Together
1978
The cartel by José Mª Nebreda confirmed.
6 July 1978
The chupinazo fired from the first-floor balcony of the town hall. Encierros to follow each morning at 8 a.m.
8 July 1978
Fermín Bohórquez bulls run the second encierro. That evening, after the corrida, a fatal incident leads to the suspension of the fiestas.
9 to 14 July 1978
Fiestas suspended. There was no encierro on the mornings of July 9 and July 11, El País reported.
San Fermín 1978, Answered
Was anyone killed in the 1978 San Fermín encierro?
No. There were no deaths in the 1978 encierros.
What time did the encierros run in 1978?
8 a.m. The start time was moved from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. in 1974 and has remained at 8 a.m. ever since.
Was the July 8 corrida held in 1978?
Yes. The corrida of July 8 took place. The fiestas were suspended after a fatal incident that evening.
Sources
Every fact on this page is checked against these sources. Where sources disagreed, the one closest to the day won.
- El País, "Suspendida la corrida de toros minutos antes de iniciarse", 1978-07-12. elpais.com
- El Salto, "Sanfermines del 78: Una cronologia de genero (Juan Retana)", 2018-07-08. elsaltodiario.com
- El Encierro (magazine) via Dialnet, "Arquitecturas alrededor del encierro (Javier Torrens Alzu)", 2020-06. dialnet.unirioja.es
- El Debate, "Pamplona despierta los Sanfermines (suspensions history)", 2022-06-06. eldebate.com
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Pamplona recordara a los 16 fallecidos en la historia del encierro con adoquines", 2023-12-27. pamplona.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Carteles de San Fermin (official poster archive)". pamplona.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "The Encierro (pamplona.es San Fermín guide)". pamplona.es
What came next
For what followed, see San Fermín 1979, when Miura ran the final morning, or explore the full 1970s archive.