“Sometimes, the bulls manage to lift the barriers”: at the Lavérune festival, tourists and locals at the encierro meeting

Cette année, la fête votive de Lavérune a lieu du 2 au 4 août. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

This Saturday, August 3, a procession of five bulls arrived on the Place de la République in Lavérune for the second day of the votive festival, under the gaze of locals and tourists.

It is 11:00 a.m. The sun is beating down on Lavérune. Today, Saturday, August 3, there is a bull run for the votive festival. On the Place de la République, a row of metal barriers have been erected to enclose a rectangular space that will serve as an arena in less than an hour. At 11:12 a.m., the truck carrying the bulls arrives. “There are five of them today” , a neighbor tells us from her balcony overlooking the square. Just below, the bakery she runs is closed this morning because, “sometimes, the bulls manage to lift the barriers.”

Little by little, local residents and groups of young people wearing colorful jerseys begin to arrive. The latter, the more experienced ones, climb onto the truck to see the animals they will try to attract with their t-shirts in a few minutes. “They're huge!”, one of them shouts from the edge of the vehicle.

Memories for the family

After noon, the two breeders on the roof of the metal cage open its doors and let out the first bull. People applaud timidly.  "It's good to come and see, also for tourists", Florence says. Originally from Millau, "I didn't know about it when I was little", but she has been participating for two years now after moving to Lavérune.

Malik, a Belgian, came across this bull run, the first he had ever seen. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

“I came across this by chance and asked what it was. This is the first time I've seen this." Visiting the area, Malik, a Belgian, stopped to watch while walking from the Bishops' Castle. "It would have been nice to come with the children but we didn't know about it. So I film memories for the family."

"I am not a bull!"

One after the other, the bulls are called to them by people stamping on the ground or leaning inside the fence. “There aren't many of them in the year and I like to watch, but I'm a bit conflicted”, admits Valérian, 13, thinking about the fate of the animals. “Afterwards, I'm not a bull ! I don't know how he feels about it. But it's very hot, it's a bit slippery… Some tourists can see it badly." Only two or three young people dare to run in front of them. After an hour, the encierro ends.

The GCs have been part of the organization of the festivities since 2013. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

“That's it that we like: the atmosphere, the friendliness and being all together”, smiles Clément, “leader” of the GC. His group has been helping to organize the votive festival since 2013. At the Café du Progrès, young and old have an aperitif before the entertainment that follows. They still have the whole afternoon and even this Sunday ahead of them. And see you next year…