San Fermín 2016: The Running of the Bulls
July 6 to 14, 2016. The year with the most gorings in a decade. Cebada Gago’s second run lasted almost six minutes and sent seven runners to hospital in one of the most dangerous single encierros in recent history. Eight runs, every video, all the stories.
What 2016 Was Really Like
I was in Pamplona for the 2016 fiesta. What I remember about that year is how dramatically different each morning felt. The first day with Fuente Ymbro was fast and clean. The second morning, Cebada Gago, was the opposite of clean. The herd fractured almost immediately, the Spanish press called it a war zone, and when it was over seven runners had been gored in a single encierro that stretched past five and a half minutes. That was the sharpest single day I can recall from any fiesta I was present for.
The José Escolar run on July 9 produced another extraordinary chapter: a 24-minute clock because one bull turned around, returned to the corrals, and never completed the route. By contrast, Victoriano del Río on July 12 ran the route in 2 minutes and 13 seconds with no gorings. That range, five and a half minutes to two and thirteen, tells you everything about 2016.
Dennis Clancey, Founder, Encierro
The Most Gorings in a Decade
Eleven runners gored by horn across eight encierros made 2016 the most dangerous fiesta since 2009, the year Daniel Jimeno died. The danger was not evenly distributed: seven of those eleven gorings came in a single morning, the July 8 Cebada Gago run that the Spanish press labeled a war zone. The herd fractured in Mercaderes, only two bulls reached the plaza normally, and four continued working the route independently. Event organizers rated it 90 out of 100 in danger, the most dangerous single encierro since July 12, 2007.
The José Escolar encierro on July 9 produced a different kind of extreme: a 24-minute run because one bull turned around on Estafeta and returned to the corrals without completing the route. Herders, steers, and arena staff spent more than 20 minutes coaxing the animal forward. By the time the clock stopped, the encierro record for length had been approached from a direction nobody had anticipated. Read every year in the full archive, or see how 2016 compares to 2015 and 2017.
Eleven gored, the most in a decade. Seven came in a single Cebada Gago morning the press called a war zone.
Every 2016 Encierro, Day by Day
Each run with its ganaderiía, time, horn injuries, and the official RTVE video. The route runs 849 meters from Santo Domingo to the ring; see the route map.
Fuente Ymbro
A fast, clean opener. The Fuente Ymbro bulls from Cádiz ran a tight, well-grouped herd. The bulls tilted into the fence in the Telefónica zone, creating moments of danger, but the morning ended with five traumatism injuries and zero gorings.
Cebada Gago
One of the most dangerous single encierros in recent history. The herd fractured in Mercaderes; only two bulls reached the plaza normally. Seven runners gored in a run that lasted 5 minutes 46 seconds. Event organizers rated it 90 out of 100 in danger, the most dangerous morning since 2007.
José Escolar
The extraordinary clock time resulted from a José Escolar bull turning around on Estafeta and returning to the corrals, refusing to complete the route. Herders and steers spent over 20 minutes before the animal was moved to the ring by truck. One runner gored, twelve treated for traumatisms.
Pedraza de Yeltes
A fast, eventful morning. The Pedraza de Yeltes herd from Salamanca ran hard through Estafeta, producing two horn gorings and three traumatism injuries. Described by RTVE as very quick and incident-filled.
Jandilla
A fast run with the herd tightly grouped. RTVE described it as “very fast, with the Jandilla bulls very grouped.” No horn gorings; three runners treated for traumatisms from crowding on the route.
Victoriano del Río
The fastest run of the fiesta and one of the ten fastest in modern Pamplona history. RTVE described it as “very fast and with beautiful runs.” Zero horn gorings, five runners treated for traumatisms. A complete contrast to the two dangerous runs earlier in the week.
Núñez del Cuvillo
A fast run with moments of danger, as described by RTVE. One runner gored, six more treated for traumatisms. The Núñez del Cuvillo herd produced some separation on the Telefónica stretch that put runners at risk.
Miura
Miura closed the 2016 fiesta in 2 minutes and 20 seconds, fast and incident-filled in a different sense: multiple bulls fell on the course, producing falls among the runners but no horn gorings. Nine runners treated for traumatisms. Miura’s ninth consecutive closing run.
The Stories the Numbers Leave Out
Official Poster of San Fermín 2016
Cartel: “Sanmarrazkin” by Eneko Huarte, Mikel Mendibil, Patricia Martiartu, and Mikel Santos.
The 2016 poster was a collaboration between four designers who incorporated the drawings and artwork of 580 elementary and preschool students from the Buztintxuri school in Pamplona. The winning image combines the children’s contributions into a single fiesta scene, making “Sanmarrazkin” a collective work in the most literal sense.
The poster received 1,575 votes in the public ballot, winning from a field of eight finalists. The title “Sanmarrazkin” is Basque for “with San Fermín,” reflecting the Navarra bilingual tradition that runs through the fiesta’s official communications.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, cartel archive
Selected as the official poster of Sanfermines 2016 through Pamplona’s annual concurso de carteles.
The City in 2016
The chupinazo fired at noon on Wednesday, July 6, 2016, opening the fiesta. The Plaza Consistorial filled with the white-and-red crowd that defines the opening ceremony of San Fermín, with the traditional showers of champagne, sangria, and water from the balconies above. Nine days of fiesta followed before the candlelit Pobre de Mí closed the celebration at midnight on July 14.
The International Fireworks Competition continued at the Ciudadela park, with nightly displays drawing large crowds. The fiesta’s bull fair (Feria del Toro) ran alongside the encierros from July 7 to 14 in the Plaza de Toros de Pamplona, with the six fighting bulls from each morning’s encierro facing matadors in the afternoon corridas. The year was marked by the unusually high goring count in the encierros, a subject of significant press attention throughout the nine days.
2016, As the World Saw It
A selection of the international coverage of San Fermín 2016.
How 2016 Came Together
The planning and key dates, kept on the record.
The poster “Sanmarrazkin” by Eneko Huarte, Mikel Mendibil, Patricia Martiartu, and Mikel Santos was announced as the winning cartel. The collaborative work incorporated artwork from 580 children at the Buztintxuri school in Pamplona and received 1,575 votes in the public ballot.
Eight ranch confirmed: Fuente Ymbro, Cebada Gago, José Escolar, Pedraza de Yeltes, Jandilla, Victoriano del Río, Núñez del Cuvillo, and Miura. Miura closed for the ninth consecutive year.
The chupinazo opened the fiesta at noon from City Hall. Nine days of fiesta, eight encierros, and a week that would end with eleven runners gored, the highest total since 2009.
Cebada Gago produced the most dangerous single morning of the decade. A 5:46 run, seven gorings, a fractured herd, and a danger rating of 90 out of 100. The most dangerous encierro since July 12, 2007.
The José Escolar encierro produced a 24-minute clock when one bull turned around and returned to the corrals on Estafeta. The animal was transported to the plaza by truck. One of the longest encierros in the modern record.
Miura closed the fiesta in 2:20 with multiple bulls falling on the course. Zero gorings. At midnight, Pobre de Mí closed San Fermín 2016 in the Plaza del Castillo.
San Fermín 2016, Answered
How many runners were gored in San Fermín 2016?
Eleven runners were gored by horn across the eight encierros, the most in a decade, and the highest total since the 2009 fiesta that claimed Daniel Jimeno Romero’s life. Seven of those eleven gorings came in a single morning, the July 8 Cebada Gago run.
Which ganaderia ran in each encierro in 2016?
Fuente Ymbro on July 7, Cebada Gago on July 8, José Escolar on July 9, Pedraza de Yeltes on July 10, Jandilla on July 11, Victoriano del Río on July 12, Núñez del Cuvillo on July 13, and Miura on July 14.
What was the fastest run of the 2016 encierros?
Victoriano del Río on July 12 in 2 minutes and 13 seconds, one of the ten fastest encierros in modern Pamplona history and the fastest of the 2016 fiesta. Zero horn gorings. The slowest was the José Escolar run on July 9, which lasted 24 minutes and 1 second due to a bull returning to the corrals.
Was anyone killed in San Fermín 2016?
No. The last death in the Pamplona encierro was Daniel Jimeno Romero on July 10, 2009. Despite having the highest goring total since that year, the 2016 fiesta added no name to the list of sixteen runners who have died in the encierro across its modern history.
Planning your own run?
2016 is in the record. For what came before, see San Fermín 2015, or for what followed, see San Fermín 2017.