The San Fermín 2026 chupinazo was launched on Monday by two representatives from Navarra's emergency services subdirectorate before more than 14,000 people in Pamplona's Consistorial Square.
Clint Jean Louis Fernández and Araceli Sergio Aguilera, emergency subdirector and mobile ICU nurse, delivered the traditional cry: «Pamplonesas, pamploneses, ¡Viva San Fermín! Iruindarrak, Gora San Fermín!». Araceli Sergio Aguilera expressed her emotion before the event: «Very moved, I hope I don't burst into tears».
The event started 204 hours of festivities amid a heat wave, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees and an orange alert. Thousands joined pre-festival almuercicos in the streets while Navarra flags, the Ikurriña and Palestine banners appeared in the square.
The celebrations mark the centenary of Ernest Hemingway's novel Fiesta. Pamplona City Council also signed a deal with RTVE and EITB to broadcast the bull runs for four years, generating annual revenue of 650,000 euros split between the council and the Casa de Misericordia.
