Running of the Bull

Dewey Beach’s most theatrical summer tradition takes its cue, loosely, from Pamplona, and executes it with considerably more humor and considerably less risk. Centered on The Starboard, the town’s best-known bar and restaurant, the Running of the Bull turns an ordinary June afternoon into a costumed procession through the resort’s compact streets, equal parts parade, competition, and long-running inside joke among Dewey Beach regulars.

The format rewards showing up rather than training: participants lean into costume and character, spectators line the route for the pageantry as much as the race itself, and the whole afternoon carries the loose, good-humored energy of a town that has never taken its own traditions too seriously, even as this one has grown into a genuine summer fixture.

Dewey Beach’s small footprint makes the event easy to fold into a longer beach weekend. Bayside sunsets, calm-water swimming, and a stay within walking distance of the town’s restaurants and daytime scene round out a visit built around one memorably odd summer afternoon. Spectating is free, though arriving early secures a decent spot along the route before the crowd fills in.