New Orleans Running Of The Bulls Happens Saturday

Officially called San Fermin in Nueva Orleans, it gets kickin today, with the Running of the Bulls happening on Saturday!

Okay, so it's not the exact same thing as what goes on in Pamplona, Spain. It's a New Orleans twist on that event that allows people to be a little more social without literally running for their lives.

350 Big Easy Roller Girls have been recruited from around the United States and Canada to carry bats, and be decked with horned helmets. These ladies will be your bulls.

Last year, there were around 18,000 participants, dressed in red and white, that ran the 1 mile course that begins and ends at The Sugar Mill. Organizers expect around the same this go-round.

But what are the "bulls" going to be hitting people with? Spokesperson Jason Bargas has the answer:

"When we started the event in 2007, a lot of our skaters carried swimming pool noodles, but we heard complaints from runners that the hits weren't hard enough. Later, some skater switched to high-density foam bats, but those left bruises. Now we have settled on large diameter whiffle ball bats and everyone seems to be happy."

As previously mentioned, this is as much of a social gathering as it is a run. I mean, who REALLY wants to run a mile as fast as they can in the torturous July Louisiana heat? Bargas had this to say:

"...here, a lot of our runners saunter. It's more social. We have to herd them along the course. And some runners really want to get hit by the bulls, even though those bats pack a wallop."

To get more info on everything that's going on for the event that kicks off today, click the button below.