• Animal rights activists from PETA and AnimaNaturalis protest against bullfighting and the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona.
• The San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, is set to begin with the traditional "Chupinazo" and the first bull run on Tuesday.
• The festival includes bull runs, bullfights, concerts, processions, parties, and other events, with the bull run being the main attraction.

A new edition of Pamplona's spectacular but controversial bull runs is set to begin in Spain despite fresh protests by animal rights activists.

The nine-day San Fermín festival opens in the northern Spanish town on Monday at 12 pm (1000 GMT) with the traditional "Chupinazo," the firing of a small rocket from the town hall balcony. The first bull run takes place on Tuesday.

The Sanfermines festival is dedicated to the city's patron saint San Fermín. In addition to the bull runs and bullfights, there are concerts, processions, parties and other events. The bull run is the highlight, however: between July 7 and 14, six heavy fighting bulls, accompanied mainly by young runners, are herded through narrow streets into the arena each morning for the evening bullfights.

Animal rights activists have been protesting against the spectacle for many years.