Tens of thousands of revellers packed the main square in the Spanish city of Pamplona yesterday to mark the start of the annual San Fermin Festival - or running of the bulls.
A huge roar from the crowd went up as a firecracker, the "chupinazo" rocket, which marks the start of the event fizzed into the summer sky.
Decked out in white t-shirts and trousers stained pink by the wine that flows freely at the festival, the crowd danced and waved traditional red handkerchiefs bearing the image of the local patron saint.
During the festivities specially bred bulls chase runners through an 800-metre (0.5 mile) stretch of narrow streets each morning at 8am for the next eight days.
More than one million people attend the festival each year bringing a hefty contribution to the local economy, amid annual calls for the cruel festival to end.
The event has also been marred by sexual attacks in recent years - groping bottoms and breasts has always been regarded as "acceptable" but tourism chiefs say this should not be the case, and in recent years launched a major campaign against the abuse throughout the city and online.
One of several bull-running events in Spain, the festival regularly ignites debate about the treatment of animals.
Protesters with fake spears protruding from their backs took to the streets on Friday to highlight the animal cruelty in a 'crime scene', with 54 human protesters lying on the ground - each one representing a bull that will be killed during the event - with the daily run culminating in the slaughter of six terrified bulls.
More than 125 Spanish towns and cities have declared themselves anti-bullfighting, and three of the autonomous regions of Spain — the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, and Catalonia — have banned the spectacle.
