Thousands party in Spain’s Pamplona city as firework blast begins San Fermin bull-running festival

PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of people have packed the town hall square in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona to celebrate the traditional “chupinazo” firework blast that starts the San Fermín bull-running festival. Nearly everyone was dressed in the traditional white trousers and shirt with red sash and neckerchief. The multitude heaved and swayed while singing and shouting and many doused each other with wine as the rocket was fired at noon Thursday. The highlight of the nine-day festival is the early morning bull runs, when thousands of daredevils race in the streets to avoid six bulls charging along a winding route to the city’s bullring. The festival was made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises.”