Calling all Hemingway impersonators. There’s only a week to sign up to win a free trip to Pamplona, Spain, in the region of Navarra. The city is hosting the First International Ernest Hemingway Look-alike and Impersonators Contest. Winners get $2,000, a trip for two to the Running of the Bulls and then along the Hemingway Route in Spain.
As any long-time tripso reader knows, I regularly head to Spain in July for the Running of the Bulls, made famous by Hemingway. I’ve been returning to the fiesta faithfully for more than 30 years. It really is a step back in time and a step outside of the normal world.
This year, the city and the region are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hemingway’s last visit to the city. They are hosting the First International Ernest Hemingway Look-alike and Impersonators Contest. Participants get a free trip to Pamplona, and the winner goes home with more than $2,000 (€1,500) plus a return trip to the region of Navarra.
Hemingway first came to Pamplona on July 6, 1923 while the Fiesta of San Fermin was in full swing. The infectious atmosphere and the life-and-death contest between man and bull made a visceral impression. Three years later he chose the fiesta as the backdrop for his first successful novel, The Sun Also Rises (or Fiesta to the British).
Hemingway was to return to Pamplona eight more times: 1924 to 1927, 1929, 1931, 1953 and 1959. Visitors can still see some of his favorite haunts: Bar Txoko, Hotel La Perla and Café Iruña, and Hotel Yoldi, where the bullfighters stayed.
From July 7 to 14, the city becomes a non-stop party with parades, processions, concerts, fireworks, sports competitions and dances — all free of charge and out in the streets and parks of the city.
Every morning at 8 a.m., thousands make the heart-palpitating 900-yard run through narrow cobblestone streets. Every day, processions of Gigantes and Cabezudos, papier-mâché figures with huge heads parade through the streets. Afterwards, runners and visitors alike opt for hot chocolate with churros, crispy pastry-like snacks, while others might choose a copa of the one of the region’s delicious wines. At 6:30 p.m. matadors get into the ring with the bulls from the morning run. Fireworks and all night partying follow.
Here are the rules for the contest
Participation in the Hemingway Look-alike Contest is open to anyone who thinks they bear a physical resemblance to the writer. Applicants must submit a registration form with two recent color photos or a 25-second video before noon (Spanish time) on June 15 via email to: [email protected].
If selected, they will receive a trip to Pamplona courtesy of the Government of Navarra. Airfare to the region, hotel accommodations and a daily expense allowance will be offered to those selected.
Participants must agree to arrive in Pamplona by mid-afternoon of Thursday, July 2 and to stay until July 10. On the morning of July 3, the candidates will give a joint press conference as Hemingway. That afternoon contestants will perform for one-minute in character and in costume, focusing on one time in the life of Hemingway.
On Saturday, July 4, participants will take a “Hemingway Tour” of Pamplona. Following that, the three finalists will be announced at a festive luncheon.
On Sunday, the three will compete in character with the grand prize winner receiving $2,000 in cash, a trophy and diploma, plus a trip for two along the Hemingway Route through Navarra. The second and third prize winners also receive a trophy and a trip for two along the Hemingway Trail. There are no losers in Pamplona as the annual fiesta starts the next day!
Here is official city information about the Fiesta of San Fermin and the region of Navarra. And for general information about Spain, contact the Tourist Office of Spain in New York (212-265-8822); Miami (305-358-1992); Chicago (312-642-1992) or Los Angeles (323-658-7195) or go to www.spain.info.
Here are some my past stories about the Running of the Bulls and how I ended up going to Pamplona the first time. Plus, another by my niece, a teenager, who recently returned.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
