Thousands take part in a bullfight through the streets of Spain - and somehow no one is gored

People take part in the traditional running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona (

Image: Ruben Albarran/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

Thousands of thrill seekers took part in the first running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona on Friday.

Several runners took hard knocks and falls during the 8am event, but no one was gored by the beasts, a frequent feature of the show.

The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists. Nearly 1.7 million people visited Pamplona for the celebrations in 2022, and the forecast is higher for this year with all Covid constraints over.

In the race, six bulls led by six tamed oxen charge along a course through the streets of Pamplona for approximately two minutes and 30 seconds before reaching the arena.

The festival was made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises". This year marks the 100th anniversary of Hemingway's first visit to the festival.

The bulls charge through the streets of Pamplona before entering the arena (

Picture:

Ruben Albarran/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

Friday's race was the first of eight scheduled. The rest of the day usually includes massive sessions of drinking, eating and attending cultural events.

Four runners were gored at the festival last year. Sixteen people have died in bullfights since 1910, the last in 2009.

The bulls that run every morning are killed in the afternoon by professional bullfighters. Every year, animal rights activists campaign against the festival, claiming it is cruel to animals.