Fêtes de Bayonne and fireworks. Origin: The first "Fêtes de Bayonne" called "The big summer festival" took place on July 13, 1932. It was instigated by a group of friends belonging to the Aviron Bayonnais rugby team. They wanted to create in Bayonne, celebrations similar to those of San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain (famous for their Running of the Bulls). Fêtes de Bayonne The fêtes de Bayonne is a feria consisting in a series of festivals in the Northern Basque Country in the town of Bayonne, France. The festival lasts 5 days and always starts the Wednesday before the first Sunday of August.
Running of the bulls run for almost 700 years until it was abandoned in 1837. According to local tradition, the custom dated from the time of King John when William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, saw two bulls fighting in the meadow beneath. Some butchers came to part the combatants and one of the bulls ran into the town, causing a great uproar. The earl, mounting his horse, rode after the animal, and enjoyed the sport so much, that he gave the meadow in which the fight began, to the butchers of Stamford, on condition that they should provide a bull, to be