Running of the Bulls returns for 20th year

New Orleans’ annual San Fermin in Nueva Orleans festival is returning for its 20th edition this weekend, with organizers scheduling the main Running of the Bulls for Saturday, July 11. The event’s official website lists a July 10-12, 2026 program and says Gallier Hall will host the Saturday and Sunday portions of the festival. Organizers describe the New Orleans version as a “safer alternative” to Pamplona’s Encierro, with the key local twist that the “bulls” are roller derby girls carrying bats. ### So what exactly is New Orleans’ version of the bull run? San Fermin in Nueva Orleans is a multi-day festival built around a mock bull run rather than live animals. The NOLA Bulls website says the event is modeled on the famous Pamplona tradition but replaces bulls with roller derby skaters, known locally as “RollerBulls.” Saturday, July 11, is the centerpiece. The official event listing says the “Running of the Bulls and Post Run Fiesta” begins at 6:30 a.m. at Gallier Hall, the former New Orleans City Hall building on St. (nolabulls.com) Charles Avenue. ### Where are the main events happening this year? Gallier Hall is the main venue for the 2026 weekend. The festival homepage says organizers are returning to Gallier Hall for the Saturday and Sunday events, and the events page says the building will host the weekend’s indoor programming as well. (nolabulls.com) Friday, July 10, starts elsewhere. The events page says El Txupinazo, the opening party for ticket holders, will be held at the Inn at the Old Jail at 2552 St. (nolabulls.com) Philip St., where attendees can pick up wristbands, bandanas and merchandise. ### What else is on the 2026 schedule besides the run? Friday’s El Txupinazo is listed as the opening party and fundraiser. Organizers say food and drink proceeds from that event will go “100%” to Beth’s Friends Forever, a nonprofit that helps women in the New Orleans area who are battling cancer. (nolabulls.com) Saturday’s schedule includes more than the early-morning run. The events page lists La Fiesta de Pantalones later on July 11, followed by Sunday’s “El Pobre de Mí: Poor Me.” The Sunday listing says the Ty Tracy Theatre at Gallier Hall, 545 St. (nolabulls.com) Charles Ave., will host a burlesque brunch with a cash bar and limited space. ### Is this really the 20th year? The 2026 festival is being promoted by organizers as the 20th edition. (nolabulls.com) The homepage calls it a “20th Annual Celebration” and says “2026 arrives and we launch our 20th edition of SFNO.” The official site also frames the anniversary as a larger-than-usual production. Organizers say the 20th edition “promises to be very different and very exciting,” though the public-facing schedule now centers on the same core elements that regular attendees would recognize: the opening party, the run, the post-run fiesta and the closing-day events. (nolabulls.com) ### What should attendees know before they go? (nolabulls.com) Organizers say all-ages VIP and general-admission tickets are available for this year’s Gallier Hall events. The events page also says a proposed route for the run was still awaiting final New Orleans Police Department approval when the site was updated. The next dated milestone is Friday, July 10, when El Txupinazo opens the weekend, followed by the 6:30 a.m. (nolabulls.com) Saturday, July 11 Running of the Bulls at Gallier Hall, according to the festival schedule. (nolabulls.com)