City Councilor, Maite Esporrín, sets off the txupinazo opening rocket to open Sanfermin 2009

06/07/2009. Thousands of people crowd the streets of Iruñea/Pamplona to celebrate the start of the fiestas

The party is on! As tradition dictates, at exactly 12.00 midday, the socialist councilor from the PSN party in Pamplona City Hall, Maite Esporrin, lit the wick of the opening rocket to set off nine days of uninterrupted partying where Pamplona becomes the world-wide epicenter of fun and diversion.

With the traditional shout of "Pamploneses, viva Sanfermin, gora Sanfermin" (long live Sanfermin in Basque and Spanish) the socialist speaker at City Hall opened the fiestas from the balcony at City Hall surrounded by most of the City Hall councilors and in front of a jam-packed square in boisterous and celebratory mood.

Since the early hours of daylight the City Hall square had been gradually filling up with an enthusiastic crowd - almost all of them dressed in red and white - and carrying bottles of cava and champagne with which to celebrate the opening of the fiestas. Immediately after the rocket was set off, most of the crowd quickly dispersed through the narrow Pamplona streets of the old quarter filling up the bars and social clubs as the celebration continued. Perhaps because the 6th has fallen on a Monday this year, there seemed to be a slightly lower crowd in attendance this year - although the square was jam-packed as always. And all the surrounding streets, such as Jarauta, Estafeta and San Nicholas were practically impossible to pass through.

Early afternoon, far from easing off, the center of Pamplona continues to be crammed with people of all ages and types. The fiesta will not come to a stop for the next nine days.