It’s a very common question: what can I do at Sanfermin?.
It really looks like an easy question, but the answer could be very, very large.
At first, if you are considering coming to Sanfermin, you can ask yourself: why do I want to go there?.
There are a lot of reasons to come to Pamplona:
In some cases, it is just to get off with girls or boys …(be aware, this place is the real spiritual reserve of the western world!). Still, the chance of making out with girls or boys, if you are a foreigner, is much higher than if you are from Pamplona.
Sometimes, it is because a lot of people think this is a lawless city during the festival (like a farwest town) and you can do everything you please. Be careful!!! because you are wrong. There are far more police officers in the city than during the rest of the year. You know, there are a lot of visitors who come here on business (pickpockets and the like…), and not only that, if a policeman sees you pissing in the street, you will definitely be fined (but it is better not to speak about that, if you have ever been here you may remember the disgusting smell of the streets in a hot morning, even though cleaners work very hard every single day).
Some other times, it is because you want to know the atmosphere, and compare it with other Spanish festivals such as Fallas in Valencia, April fair in Seville or Pilar in Saragossa. I must tell people that want to compare it with Fallas, that there are not so many rockets and firecrackers here as in Fallas, even though we have fireworks every night and the best Valencian fireworker comes to display his show. To the people who want to compare it with the April fair, I will say that you will fit in our festival by yourself and that you needn’t be a member of any society. To those who want to compare it with the Pilar, just one thing… Go! Osasuna Go!. (The best soccer team all over the world).
You can also say that you are coming to Sanfermines to learn or improve your Spanish, but this is a very poor excuse… you can learn Spanish another time and in another place.