Night time shows

Those couple of hours which lie between the exit of the "Peñas" from the bullring (about 8.30) and the opportunity to have suppper (around 11.00) provide the chance to stroll round and take in some of the various curious events which tend to go on at this time of the evening:

At 11.00 in the evening there is a "fire-bull" "let loose" around Estafeta street and Mercaderes for the children to play with. It's a kind of metal artifact and shaped in the form of the front quarters of a bull and borne manually on the shoulders and from its sides there spurt some firecrackers and sparks which causes some noisy excitement as it rushes about the street. It's entertaining for the kids and it can make for a good photo. It's not usually a very crowded spectacle and the only danger might come from a bolting spark burning a hole in your clothes.

At 23.00. - In the Ciudadela(The old citadel) at the Vuelta del Castillo.

Every night during the Festival there is a half an hour fireworks display put on in the park. Here, you will get the best view of the display, although of course, the display can be seen and heard all over the city, to a greater or lesser extent. It´s worth having a good look at it at least on one of the nights.

If you go to the park, you can stretch out and gaze right up at the whole spectacle. You´ll get a view that you couldn´t possibly get from the narrow streets of the old part of town. You don´t have to worry about space here, even though a large crowd usually gathers in the park to watch the display, there is ample room for all in the wide grassy spaces. Anyway it is better to go in time.

Since the year 2000 a Sanfermin International Fireworks Competition has been held each year in which all the fireworks firms that put on a show compete with each other. The list of winners are as follows:

2000. Pirotecnia Zaragozana (Zaragoza)

2001. Pirotecnia Pablo (Cangas del Narcea-Asturias)

2002. Vicente Caballer (Godella-Valencia)

2003. Vicente Caballer (Godella-Valencia)

2004. Ricardo Caballer (Godella-Valencia)

2005. Vicente Caballer (Godella-Valencia)

2006. Vicente Caballer (Godella-Valencia)

The nights in Pamplona provide an even bigger variety of different kinds of shows. There are dances for all tastes - rock, tangos, waltzes carribean, folk.....and also things like the fire-works display or the "bull" of fire on the street.

Outside of the city center some time ago the City Council used to organize some spectacles in different parts of the city. You must pay, but not very much and they were quite good. Nowadays some private clubs do it and the concerts are quite expensive and not so good. Well, it depends.
There are free dances at different locations within the old part of town. Just outside the old part, at the Antoniutti Park there is always a very popular free dance with live groups at 24'00 too. The quality of the music varies with the artistes but there is always a good atmosphere. There are lots of small stands beside it where snacks and drinks can be bought all through the night. There are also other open-air dances at the Plaza de la Cruz (at 23'30), at the Paseo de Sarasate (at 20'30), at the Plaza de los Fueros (rock and D'j music) and at the Plaza Compañía (jazz).

If you fancy something different to dancing and drinking, you might like to see the Fun Fair (Las Barracas) which is held in the Vuelta del Castillo. This runs all night long and has all the classic attractions such as the Big Wheel, The Helter-Skelter, Bumper cars etc. Not to be recommended if you're suffering from any kind of alcoholic excess. Traces of such excesses are often left behind by some luckless people who find all the shaking up and twirling round all too much.

The Fun Fair usually has a great athmosphere and it can be a nice change from all the dancing and drinking now and again...