Past Events
2007: The sixth Running of the Nudes was the most festive event yet!
Hundreds of revellers from more than 30 countries joined the sixth annual Running of the Nudes in Pamplona! Wearing plastic bull horns, Running of the Nudes logo knickers, red scarves and little else, compassionate partiers from around the world showed Pamplona just how much fun they can have without harming a hair on a bull's head! The Running of the Nudes was a rally, a reunion and, most of all, a rocking party!
See images of the 2007 Running of the Nudes.
2006: The Fifth Annual Running of the Nudes
This year was the biggest “Running of the Nudes” ever! Just two days before the first bull run, more than 1,000 people, most wearing little more than a red scarf and horns, ran through the streets of Pamplona. It was an amazing party—a real fiesta—complete with musicians and with people dancing and marching through the streets to show Pamplona that it doesn’t need to torture animals for tourism. As usual, the event attracted international media attention.
See images of the 2006 Running of the Nudes.
2005: The Fourth Annual Running of the Nudes
Six hundred people from all over the world participated in the fourth annual Running of the Nudes, wearing red scarves, horns, body paint and little else. More than 90 Spaniards attended, thanks in part to a Pamplona newspaper that included the Running of the Nudes in its official San Fermín Festival guide. The event garnered international media coverage, including in Belgium, France, Latvia, Greece, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Croatia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Poland and even Australia! Olympians Sally Gunnell and Cathy Freeman and singer Chrissie Hynde wrote to Pamplona Mayor Yolanda Barcina Angulo in support of the Running of the Nudes, and PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk invited US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who has attended the bull run in the past, to show his compassion and attend the nude run. Secretary Rumsfeld did not RSVP, but we remain hopeful that one day we’ll see more of him!
See images of the 2005 Running of the Nudes.
Media Coverage
- “Protesters Strip Against Bull Run” (BBC)
- “El Encierro, al Desnudo. Multitudinaria Marcha Nudista en Pamplona Contra el Maltrato a los Toros” (Rojo y Negro, Madrid, España)
- “Naked Protesters March Against Pamplona Bull Run” (The Daily Mail)
- “Aussie Woman Plans Nude Pamplona Protest” (The Age) The Australian press even covered it!!!
2004: More Than 350 Runners in Pamplona
Coachloads of activists travelled to Pamplona from the UK, Belgium, Germany and Spain, totalling more than 350 participants! Although the mayor of Pamplona turned down PETA’s request for a permit, the regional government opted to allow the event on the condition that participants cover their – ahem – private parts. Local newspapers listed the Running of the Nudes in Festival of San Fermin events calendars, and tour guides were heard telling tourists to check out the “Encierro Humano”.
See images of the 2004 Running of the Nudes.
Media Coverage
- “Los Cuernos Despiertan Pasiones” (La Voz de Galicia, Galicia, España)
2003: The Running of the Nudes Was a Grand Success
The second annual Running of the Nudes was six times bigger than the inaugural event, with 150 activists taking to the streets of Pamplona, where they were met by riot police! The officers blocked the nude “runners” inside the Santo Domingo corrals to keep them from running naked through the streets, but that didn’t keep onlookers from hearing the chants of “end the bloody bullfights”, watching from balconies and jumping the police barricades to join the crowd. The peaceful demonstration ended with an emotional speech in English and Spanish by PETA Campaign Coordinator William Rivas-Rivas, who thanked everyone who travelled to Pamplona and congratulated the masses for showing the world that the abuse of bulls will not be tolerated. Rivas-Rivas vowed that compassionate people, both clothed and nude, will come back to the city every year until the Festival of San Fermin no longer includes animal abuse.
See images of the 2003 Running of the Nudes.
2002: A New Tradition Is Born in Pamplona
The Running of the Nudes was born in Pamplona in 2002, when 25 nude people streaked through the winding streets to protest the cruel and bloody bull run and subsequent bullfights. Many local residents and tourists stopped to watch the demonstrators as they marched in an eye-catching and titillating taste of the Festival of San Fermin’s new tradition.
