They’re mean. They have horns. They chase people brave enough to run through the streets. Yes, we’re talking about bulls, but not the kind you’re thinking of. In New Orleans, these “bulls” are the Big Easy Rollergirls, and they’ll be trying their best to “gore” runners Saturday during San Fermin in Nueva Orleans.
This twist on the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona began in the French Quarter back in 2007, and the event has been growing in popularity ever since. Every year, the Big Easy Rollergirls and their rollergirl friends from around the country dress up like bulls and hit runners with bats as they make their way through the crowd. The runners are dressed in white with red handkerchiefs. Some run, some risk the bruises that walking is sure to bring.
The main event takes place Saturday morning, but it’s actually a weekend event. Friday night there’s the Txupinazo at The Sugar Mill, Saturday night is the La Fiesta de Pantalones at Maison on Frenchman Street, and Sunday offers up a chance to recover at the El Pobre de Mi (Poor Me). Read about the details here.
Take heed, though: The rollergirls are for real. Here’s some advice we suggest taking from Cheap Thr!lls, a Big Easy Rollergirl who we interviewed right before last year’s event:
“DO NOT TOUCH THE BULLS! Don’t try to take their bats. Stay on the sidewalk if you don’t want to get hit and don’t let children get underfoot. This event is a lot of fun but can be frenzied and irresponsible behavior makes things less enjoyable for all. Also, this is not Walking of the Bulls. If we see you strolling along, we’ll assume you slowed down because you think you’re not getting hit enough. Now put on your running shoes because we’re coming to get ya!!”
