The Joker of San Fermín: A villain at the Running of the Bulls

There is a stanza in the Vals de Astrain, the musical piece that is played on July 6, the eve of the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, that references the dress code for runners. The lines, written in the early 20th century, allude to the fact that the white-and-red uniform acts as a leveler between the different social classes and geographical origin of the people participating in the event.

The Running of the Bulls has since become a world-famous event with extensive TV coverage that, for nearly two decades now, has also drawn attention from social media. And the quest for visibility during the runs, or encierros, requires standing out somehow from the white-and-red crowd. Team shirts came first, but the San Fermín festival in 2026 has opened up a new avenue of expression: dressing up as a famous character.

Lacey Mrzena came to Pamplona from Chicago, Illinois, but in the San Fermín festival he is known as The Joker, the antihero created by Marvel as Batman’s nemesis. Sporting dyed green hair, white face paint and a sinister grin at every encierro he has run, his version of The Joker perhaps more closely resembles the mentally ill clown played by Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Phillips’s 2019 film.

Mrzena, who goes by Straighdroplace on social media, challenges the spirit of the San Fermín rules with his outfit. Yes, it is a festival that seems chaotic from the outside, yet it does have its own municipal rules seeking the safety of the runners, who number upwards of 2,000 a day, hurtling down narrow cobblestoned streets in Pamplona’s Old Town. In fact, the rules run eight pages long, outlining what may and may not be done along the 850-meter course that is covered each morning from July 6 to July 14 by six fighting bulls and six oxen.

Besides prohibiting minors from running, and anyone showing signs of being under the influence, objects that could obstruct the race, such as backpacks, cameras and other image-recording devices are also banned. So are “garments that could hinder or prevent the normal development of the run, or unsuitable footwear,” explicitly naming high heels, clogs and sandals. Granted, nothing is specifically said about not dressing up as the Joker.

The Joker first made an appearance on July 7 in front of the bulls. Since then, he has participated in every morning run, with slight makeup variations but with the same smile showing a characteristic metallic shine. But what’s ended his participation is not his makeup but his cellphone, which he produced to film himself during the runs.

On Saturday, July 11, The Joker found himself a spot right in front of a black-and-white bull towards the end of the run, where all the animals and people converge on the entrance to the bullring. He pulled out his phone and lifted it to take a photo. Perhaps he managed it, but it also made him easy to spot by the local police in charge of safety. Officers went up to him inside the ring, escorted him out and told him he was facing a fine for violating the safety regulations. The fines range from €601 to €6,000, and a ban on running in the following encierro.

Using a cellphone to record oneself during the runs is one of the most common violations of the rules governing the encierros. Mrzena — who has claimed religious and cultural reasons for his disguise — is the third person to be fined this year for serious safety breaches.

What’s more, the local police have confiscated over 50 pairs of glasses equipped with recording cameras, and Pamplona lawmakers keep updating the rules every year in their fight to keep up with the advancing technology and the desire for social media notoriety.

As Batman might have said, “this city just showed you that it’s full of people ready to believe in good.”

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