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Thousands of daredevils have dashed through the narrow streets of Pamplona for this year''s first running of the bulls of the famed the San Fermin fiesta.

The thrillseekers raced to keep ahead of six fighting bulls and six bell-tinkling steers tasked with trying to keep the beasts together along the 930-yard (850-meter) course from a holding pen to the northern town''s bull ring.

Several of the runners were knocked to the ground and some were trampled on by the bulls and steer but there no immediate reports of gorings.

Red Cross workers told National Spanish Television they had no reports of serious injuries. The government of Navarre later said on its website that a teenager from Melbourne, Australia, suffered an eye injury while a local suffered multiple contusions.

The 8 am run - the highlight of the festival, comes after a full day and night of hard partying.

This year, the txupinazo was set off by Mari Genuza, President of the Navarre Group of Giants and Bigheads, which turns 150 this year. After shouting "Viva San Fermin" and "Gora San Fermin", Mari lit the rocket and the festivities officially began.

People sang and whooped while drenching each other with sangria and cheap wine and champagne.

The Council of Pamplona has organised an official programme which willinclude 533 live musical acts, bullfighting, cultural and institutionalevents with a budget of 2.8 million euros.

Luckily for fiesta-goers, it looks as though this year''s celebration will come accompanied by high temperatures, meaning more people partying out on the streets.

Though the tourist count is down in Pamplona this year and merchants are complaining of low sales as Spain struggles with the European debt crisis and 20% unemployment, that didn''t matter to David Marcilla after a woman dumped a huge bucket of water on top of him from her terrace in a third-floor apartment.

"There''s a financial crisis, but there isn''t today in Pamplona and everyone is partying," said Marcilla, 16, his white shirt already stained pink by wine.

Television images showed a sea of red and white dressed partiers swaying back and forth in the square and roaring "San Fermin!" and "Ole!" as the rocket blasted off.

"There''s so much wine on the ground you could get drunk by drinking it off the floor," said Samantha Arnold, a 25-year-old pharmaceutical saleswoman from Australia.

In a bid to try to keep the noise level down during the fiesta known for 24-hour street partying, Pamplona town hall on Monday banned street vendor sales of vuvuzelas, the droning plastic horns so popular at World Cup matches in South Africa.

San Fermin''s first bull-run starts at 8 am (0600 GMT) Wednesday, when hundreds of people race ahead of six fighting bulls and six bell-tinkling steers - meant to keep them in a tight pack - that charged down the 930-yard (850-meter) course from a holding pen to the town''s bull ring.

In the evening, the bulls will be killed in the bull ring, their meat served up in Pamplona''s restaurants.

Last year''s festival saw the first goring death in nearly 15 years. The fiesta became a big international event after Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in his 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises.

Here on EiTB.com you''ll find news, videos and reports about this year''s San Fermin festivities. You can also enjoy various photo galleries and of course our special infographic about the traditional running of the bulls.