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Thousands of people dressed in white with red neckerchiefs pack Pamplona's Town Hall Square before dawn, waiting for the traditional chupinazo rocket that opens San Fermín 2026.
The square fills hours ahead of the launch as visitors from across Spain, Pamplona, and abroad claim their places for one of the country's most recognized festival traditions.
Crowds continue arriving through the early morning hours, filling every corner of the square surrounding Pamplona's City Hall.
Balconies and windows overlooking the plaza also fill with spectators, while chants and singing rise from the assembled crowd as the countdown to the rocket launch begins.
The chupinazo rocket is fired from the City Hall balcony, officially opening nine days of festivities.
This year's rocket is launched by representatives of Navarre's Accident and Emergency Subdirectorate, selected through a public vote as a tribute to healthcare workers who assist during the celebrations, particularly during the bull runs
Smoke from the rocket drifts over the packed square as the crowd erupts, marking the formal start of San Fermin 2026.
The moment draws applause and cheering from the thousands gathered below, many of whom have waited for hours to witness the launch in person.
The crowd joins in the traditional cry that follows the rocket launch, calling out for Saint Fermín in both Spanish and Basque.
The chant, repeated across generations, signals that the festivities are now officially underway and will continue for the next nine days.
With the chupinazo complete, the celebration spreads from the square into Pamplona's surrounding streets.
Visitors and residents alike take part in the citywide festivities that mark the festival's opening hours, as the atmosphere shifts from anticipation to celebration.
Streets throughout Pamplona's old quarter fill with visitors as the celebration continues into the day.
The city, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from Spain and abroad each year during the festival, settles into the first of nine days of events.
Authorities have reinforced medical and emergency services ahead of the festival's opening, citing forecasts of temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in Navarre.
The heat adds an additional layer of caution to a festival that already draws close attention from local emergency services each year.
Attention now turns to the Santo Domingo pens, where the first bull run of the festival is set to begin on Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Runners will cover the 848 meters separating the pens from the bullring, a route considered among the most dangerous traditions of San Fermin.
San Fermin 2026 will continue through July 14, with bull runs taking place each morning throughout the festival.
Pamplona now enters nine days of events that combine longstanding tradition with the large crowds and international attention the festival draws each summer.
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