Events calendar PAYS BASQUE NAVARRE - RIOJA

The Bilboko Kalealdia Theatre and Street Arts Festival is an annual event organised by the Cultural Department of the Bilbao City Council. For one week, at the beginning of summer, it offers a rich programme of shows on different open-air stages in the city: Doña Casilda Park, Plaza Nueva, Plaza Arriaga and the Arenal docks, among others. The programme includes contemporary dance, circus and puppet shows, presented by companies mostly from the Basque Country and France.

A prestigious international classical music festival, held annually at the Palacio Euskalduna Jauregia in Bilbao. For 3 days, 60 to 70 concerts are programmed around a common theme, dedicated to a particular composer or period. Over the years, the festival has featured Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin. In addition to its concert program, the festival offers lectures and discussions with musicians, as well as workshops for children and concerts for families.

An annual event for architecture enthusiasts, this festival offers a weekend of visits to buildings usually closed to the public. Through guided tours, you can reach the roof of a church, a former factory, an industrial building, offices, private apartments... so many diverse and varied places, which have in common a singular architecture. Thematic itineraries are also proposed through Bilbao, Getxo and Barakaldo. Plan to arrive early for visits, there are usually a lot of people!

Bilbao Festival of Current Theatre and Contemporary Dance. Organised by the Culture Department of the Bilbao City Council, this annual festival highlights new trends in the performing arts. Around twenty companies present their creations in various spaces in the city, mainly Bilborock, the Campos Eliseos Theatre, La Fundación, and the Pabellón 6 creation space. Many local companies, but also some French ones!

Jazz festival held every year since 1975.

Festival of photography. On the programme: workshops, conferences, projections and exhibitions. 

On August 4, thousands of people gather in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, in Vitoria, to celebrate the start of the festivities of the White Virgin. The descent of the emblematic Celedón marks the beginning of the festivities. For a week, Vitoria lives to the rhythm of the many activities programmed for the occasion: gastronomic and craft fairs, fireworks, bertsolaris competitions, Basque strength games, concerts, etc.

Festivals of Portugalete which start on August 14th with the traditional chupinazo. Fireworks, encierros and dances are organised.

This festival celebrates the cultures and traditions of the world. It receives each year of the troops of dance come from the four corners of the world to share their culture. 

On the occasion of the festivities of the Saint James, a large agricultural fair is organised in Gorliz. Tastings and sales of products from the region.

One of the most important festivals in the city. The festivities begin on Sunday the Carnival, called Txitxiburduntxi. The locals dress themselves with sweets and local products (charcuterie). Typical dances and concerts throughout the week.

The Pasaia Itsas Festibala, a maritime and cultural event of international stature, is perhaps the most important gathering on the Basque Coast for boat enthusiasts of all stripes. Every two years, Pasaia Itsas Festibala is the place to be for maritime heritage and culture in the magnificent Bay of Pasaia. Third edition: May 9-12, 2024. The website of the association organizing this major event is packed with first-hand information that will delight history and sailing enthusiasts!

On the occasion of Saint Magdalene's Day, eight young people from the village perform this "stilt dance", dressed in traditional costume. Accompanied by the tunes of drums and bagpipes, they have to climb a stone path from the church to the main square of the village, while performing dance steps. This is the oldest folk tradition in La Rioja, with documents dating back to 1603, although it is believed to have originated even earlier. This rite is also celebrated on the last Saturday of September.