San Fermines is one of Spain's most significant holidays; it brings joy to Pamplona and a lot of income that benefits the whole town. Due to COVID-19 this year San Fermines is not happening.
Every year San Fermin brings more than ten million euros to Pamplona, which is a massive loss for the town. The loss of San Fermines is not only affecting businesses in Pamplona but businesses in the whole country.
On the 21st of April, the Major of Pamplona announced that this year, the San Fermines would not happen due to COVID-19.
There have only been four other times were San Fermines did not happen.
The first time was in 1937 and 1938. Spain's civil war ended in 1936, and after the civil war, it took Spain three years to recover. Pamplona decided to celebrate San Fermines in 1939, which brought money to Pamplona and the energy and happiness Spain needed.
In 1978 was the last time the mayor of Pamplona canceled San Fermines. The police killed Germán Rodríguez on the 8th of July of 1978 because of a series of manifestations in Pamplona. The result was the cancelation of San Fermines.
San Fermin brings over one million people to Pamplona, including tourists from outside Spain.
The cancelation of San Fermin will almost certainly come with massive economic implications. Pamplona is facing one of the most challenging moments due to the COVID-19 outbreak. San Fermin not only brings millions of people but also carries a considerable percent of Pamplona's income.
During June and July, Pamplona hires 10% more people than the rest of the year, but this year is not happening.
This year Pamplona is going to lost 150 million euros due to COVID-19.
Restaurants and bars of Pamplona said that 20% of their income comes from San Fermin.
ANOET realized an experiment that proved that more than 10% of Pamplona's restaurants would have to close due to the impact of COVID-19 in Pamplona.
Spanish government informed a month ago that bars and restaurants could only use 75% of their full capacity. This has a significant impact on the service sector, meaning that this sector's economy is decreasing a lot. More than 13% of the restaurants in Pamplona closed after quarantine. Not having income for more than three months was untenable for many businesses.
San Fermin was the last hope for many businesses, but sadly this year, Navarra would not enjoy one of the most important events in Spain.
Even if this situation has affected many families, the community believes that if they stay united, they can reopen businesses, and next year they would be able to celebrate San Fermines.
