We came, We saw, We had Fiesta

Posted on Tue, Jul 31, 2007

Me being interviewed by the national network “Canal Cuatro” on our terrace during the opening ceremonies.

I never imagined that hard work could be so much fun… but when your job is helping people enjoy the 2nd largest festival in the world, it’s easy. We averaged 1.5 hours sleep per night, but were always up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. to get to the balconies for each morning’s encierro.

We ended up with over 300 clients this year… some of whom slept through anything that happened during the daylight hours, others were up at 6:00 a.m. along with us to make sure they didn’t miss a minute of the action.

By the end of the fiesta, we had celebrated alongside sailors, soldiers, financiers, CEOs, students, authors, poets, film-makers. The diversity of the crowd who makes the party pilgrimage to Pamplona each year continues to amaze me.

Our Txupinazo (opening ceremony) event was well-received, as we overlooked the Plaza Consistorial with gourmet tapas and Navarran wine, we got to feel the rush of emotion that comes with 10,000 people celebrating the beginning of something extremely special. Our vantage point was so good that TV networks started knocking on our door to see who we were. Many of us ended up being interviewed for a news magazine shows which aired on Cuatro on July 27th.

We also learned more lessons about how to make sure everyone has a good time at the fiesta. If you are planning for a future fiesta, be sure you plan ahead, don’t try to come on a weekend, and don’t try driving into town in the morning hoping to see a bull run. I can’t tell you how many clients missed their balcony spots because they thought they could drive in from San Sebastian in time. You definitely need to stay in Pamplona if you want to see the bull run.

Even though we suffered from lack of sleep, we were by no means deprived of food, drink, friends, or fiesta. This year’s San Fermín was definitely my favourite so far. I hope you get to experience this event at least once in your life.