You don’t have to travel all the way to Pamplona to run with the bulls, you can come on down to New Orleans! opens in a new windowThe San Fermin en Nueva Orleans Festival is our special version of the Spanish festival without the risking of your life part! There are horns involved, but they are on the helmets of the wonderful ladies of the opens in a new windowBig Easy Rollergirls, plus friends from other roller derby leagues across the country. These bulls won’t gore you, but if you run too slow, you might get whacked with a whiffleball bat. I won’t say that some people like to get whacked, but there are some mighty slow dawdlers along the course!
If you run, you have to wear a white pants and shirt, as well as a red bandana. This being the Big Easy, not everyone keeps to the traditional look. You’ll see costumes like matadors and bulls, of course, but you also may see some luchadores and who know what else!
The runners start bright and early at 8am on Saturday, but the festival starts on Thursday with the Marqués de Cáceres Wine Dinner at the Hotel Mazarin, which includes wine tastings, dinner, Spanish guitar by Riccardo Crespo, and a special guest from the 18th century! On Friday, enjoy El Txupinazo (pronounced el choo-pee-naht-so), a free pre-party at The Sugar Mill from 5-9pm, with a chance to meet the Rollerbulls, delicious cuisine and live music. On Saturday, the running is preceded by the procession of San Fermin, and followed by the post encierro party, where you can enjoy live music and food. Saturday night is La Fiesta de Pantalones (pants party), where you can listen to music and sip cocktails. Sunday finishes off with the appropriately titled, El Pobre de Mi (Poor Me) party; a tapas brunch, Ernest Hemingway-inspired contests, readings from The Sun Also Rises, live music and a few other entertaining surprises. El Pobre is free and open to the public. The Saturday events are ticketed, and you’ll want to buy early. You can take a look at the different offerings opens in a new windowHERE.
We have plenty of rooms for the weekend at opens in a new window1896 O’Malley House! Call us for reservations or just check our availability calendar on the website.
“Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters.” – Hemingway