Every year, the Festival of San Fermin attracts thousands of visitors to Pamplona, Spain. Over the course of nine days, the festival hosts many bullfights, a carnival, fireworks, and of course, the encierro, or "running of the bulls." Held since 1591, San Fermin remains a popular, if also dangerous and controversial event: Several people have been gored already this year, and the festival continues until July 14th. Collected below are some scenes from the first few days of this 2011's Festival of San Fermin. [36 photos]
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A Torrestrella ranch fighting bull is seen during a bullfight at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, on July 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
A Torrestrella ranch fighting bull is seen during a bullfight at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, on July 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
Chilean Alonso Ceardi poses with a picture that shows when he was severely gored during the running of the bulls at the 2010 San Fermin Festival in Pamplona. Ceardi nearly died from the goring, but said he would run again at this year's festival. (Reuters/Eloy Alonso) #
Attendees hold up traditional red scarves as tens of thousands of people packed Pamplona's main square in Spain, on July 6, 2011 to celebrate the start of Spain's most famous bull-running festival with the annual launch of the "chupinazo" rocket. (AP Photo/Ivan Aguinaga) #
Participants hold traditional red scarves during the 'Chupinazo' to mark the start at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival on July 6, 2011. (Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty Images) #
Festival goers gather during the 'Chupinazo', the official opening of the 2011 San Fermin Festival on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 in Pamplona, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) #
A festival goer jumps from a fountain at the Plaza de Navarreria during the start of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, on July 6, 2011. (Reuters/Susana Vera) #
A man lies injures on the ground after leaping from the Navarre, a fountain in Pamplona, Spain Wednesday July 6, 2011 at the start of Spain's most famous bull-running festival. The man was not caught by other revelers and fell directly to the ground seriously injuring himself. At the time of the photograph, there were no further details on his condition. (AP Photo/Ivan Aguinaga) #
Workers carry the stuffed body of a bull named Bravio to stand in a hall at a hotel in Pamplona, Spain, Friday July 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) #
A "Kiliki" tries to calm down a frightened boy during San Fermin Festival's "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona, on July 8, 2011. Enormous puppets accompanied by brass bands parade daily through the city during the nine-day-long festival made popular by U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway. (Reuters/Susana Vera) #
Participants run next to Torrestrella ranch fighting bulls on Estafeta street during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival on Thursday, July 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) #
A tourist takes photos from a balcony on Calle de la Estafeta before the first running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival on Thursday July 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) #
Festival goers run on the Estafeta corner ahead of Jose Cebada Gago ranch bulls during the second running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival on Friday July 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) #
A photographer prepares his camera on the famous Estafeta Corner before the start of the second running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival on Friday July 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) #
Revelers run on the Estafeta corner as one bull falls during the second running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona northern Spain, Friday July 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) #
Men are pinned by a leading bull, used to drive the fighting bulls during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival, on Thursday, July 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) #
A man tries to avoid a steer that broke away from the pack of fighting bulls during the second day of the San Fermin running-of-the-bulls on July 7, 2011. (Denis Doyle/Getty Images) #
Participants run with Cebada Gago's fighting bulls during the second San Fermin Festival bull run, on July 8, 2011. (Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images) #
A calf jumps into the arena after the running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival on Thursday, July 7, 2011, in Pamplona, Spain. (AP Photo/Ivan Aguinaga) #
Mexican bullfighter Arturo Saldivar prepares for the start of the first bullfight of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, on July 7, 2011. (Reuters/Susana Vera) #
Mexican bullfighter Arturo Saldivar performs during a bullfight at the San Fermin Festival, on Thursday, July 7, 2011.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) #
Rejoneador (bullfighter on horseback) Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza performs at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona July 6, 2011. (Reuters/Joseba Etxaburu) #
Spanish novillero bullfighter Jimenez Fortes falls in front of the horns of a bull during a bullfight in Pamplona, Spain, on Tuesday, July 5, 2011. Fortes fell in front of the bull and managed to roll over to avoid the horns, lucky to be unhurt in the incident. Novilleros, is the stage prior to becoming a 'matador' where bullfights are performed with young bulls. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) #
Mexican bullfighter Arturo Saldivar performs a pass with a bull during the first bullfight of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona July 7, 2011. (Reuters/Susana Vera) #
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