Official Evaluation of Sanfermin 2009

15/07/2009. Yolanda Barcina remembered the young runner, David Jimeno and she affirmed that City Hall would continue to stress the importance of making people aware of the security measures regarding the running of the bulls

The tragic death of the young Madrid man, Daniel Jimeno, in the running of the bulls on the past 10th of July, underscored the press conference this morning when the Mayor of Pamplona, Yolanda Barcina, called the media in to make an official evaluation of the fiestas of Sanfermin 2009. Barcina insisted that she would continue working on measures to make people aware of the dangers of the running of the bulls and she stated that thanks to the work they have been doing over the past number of years, the number of participants has not increased over these past few years. Likewise, she also stated that it was on the 8th of July that the largest number of participants ran in the event and yet, that day, the running of the bulls was quite clean and without any mishaps. She insisted that with the fighting bulls you can never be sure how they will behave and, whether there is a crowded participation or not, "the bulls are bulls."

The Mayor also highlighted the high level of participation of the citizens of Pamplona and visitors in the diverse activities organized for Sanfermin 2009; the children's corner in the Plaza Conde Rodezno Square was particularly successful she felt and also the daily attendance of some 60.000 people to watch the fireworks displays at different points around the town. The data released by Mayor Barcina would seem to indicate that the financial crisis did not directly affect the participation of the citizens in the festive atmosphere as the number of visitors to the city has been almost as high as Sanfermin 2008 and most of the hotels and accommodation centers had their all- booked-up signs out over the festival days.

Likewise, the Mayor wished to point out that the recycling measures taken this year had improved the recycling of glass especially, where there was an increase of 7.4% compared with 2008. She also said that even more large litter bins would be used next year as they proved very successful this year. Finally, Mayor Barcina expressed her gratitude to all those who worked to ensure that the fiestas passed off correctly and properly.