Festivals are an important part of Spanish culture, especially in the summer. In addition to internationally known celebrations, such as Semana Santa in Sevilla and San Fermin in Pamplona, every town and city has at least a weekend that is dedicated to their annual festival. The festivals’ origins can often be traced to a religious holiday that is connected to an important regional industry. However, these celebrations are now less about the church and more about socializing in the streets.
In prior posts I wrote about our experiences at BIlbao Basque Fest’s Herri Kirolak demonstrations and Hogueras de San Juan in A Coruña. In addition to those that I’ve featured in prior posts, we’ve participated in many more festivals in recent months that I haven’t written about. Here’s an abbreviated overview of many of those.
Carnival
Carnival is obviously a BIG deal in Brazil, the Caribbean, and some regions of Spain. While the festivities in Bilbao are more subdued, they still provided plenty of opportunities to enjoy a copa in the calle. There were band performances, a day where everyone seemed to be dressed in costume, and a funeral for a papier-mâché sardine [which ultimately ended in its cremation].
Las Fallas
Las Fallas is celebrated in Valencia every March and it is a BIG deal. The festival celebrates the arrival of spring and stems from a historical tradition of carpenters burning the wood that they’d used to prop their work lights over winter, as longer days meant they could work by sunlight. Over the years what was burnt evolved from simple light posts to structures that began to take a human form to the sizable works of art that are built today.
As the celebration evolved, many Falla groups developed. In fact, there are now hundreds of Fallas constructed throughout the city every spring. Valencianos join a Falla, to which they pay monthly dues. These dues are used by the Falla to construct an effigy, some of which cost millions of euros. The effigies are colorful, often satirical, and ultimately burnt in a massive display on March 19 [which almost always also includes fireworks].
We spent a week in Valencia for Las Fallas and it was certainly a memorable experience. It was remarkable to see the Fallas take shape over the week and the street parties did not seem to cease. [There were fireworks every night at midnight and most of the Fallas then had a DJ playing for hours after that. The fireworks and street parties started again every morning around 8:00am.] We were grateful to return to a quieter Bilbao when it was over!
for the week.
Gau Zuria/Noche Blanca
For a weekend every June, Bilbao is filled with art installations, the majority of which are only on display after 10:00pm. Some of the installations are interactive, others tell a story, others still include music and feel a bit like a party. The best part? You can carry beverages as you wander around the city to experience each piece.
Casilda Iturrizar
Bilboko Kalealdia
Musical and theatrical performances take place throughout the city in early-July. Most of them happen in parks or plazas and all of them are free. There was usually a performance near our apartment at 10:30 or 11:00pm. Every evening we’d walk over to see it [and obviously bring a beverage with us!]
The most notable performance took place on the Tuesday evening. We weren’t even planning to attend that night. In fact, I had just sat down with my Sleepytime Tea when we heard fireworks and drums outside. Obviously we put on our shoes [and I poured my tea into a travel mug] and made our way to the street to see the show.
El Carmen Santurtzi
Santurtzi was once a fishing village that is now part of the Bilbao metropolitan area. They host their annual festival in July, with the day of the Virgen del Carmen [the 16th] being a key element of the celebration. La Virgen del Carmen is the patron saint of the sea and the date is celebrated in many coastal communities with a boat procession. Of course there is plenty of live music and street drinking during the festival, as well!
Festival Gentes del Mundo/Bilbao Blues Fest
Over the last two weekends there have also been smaller festivals taking place along the Ria in central Bilbao. Last weekend was a celebration of world cultures, which included performances by musical groups from Latin America and stands selling a wide array of ethnic foods.
This weekend was Bilbao Blues Fest. We missed most of the performances, as we headed to Santander for the final weekend of their Semana Grande. However, we did catch performances by groups competing in the final of the Volotea Blues Challenge. The winning group advanced to the European Blues Challenge, to be held in Split, Croatia next year.
Paellas de Aixerrota
Isi, a bartender at our local & lifelong friend of the bar owner, Edu, told us about Paellas de Aixerrota a few weeks ago. They told us to stop by their tent that afternoon and they’d give us a beer. We thought this meant that the bar was running a stand during the festival, but when we arrived we learned that what they’d actually invited us to was their tailgate.
Sadly, there wasn’t paella to be purchased, and we missed the presentation of the competition paellas while chatting with Isi and Edu, But, it was fascinating to see groups preparing their paellas. We were given plenty of 🍺 (along with vermouth, cheese, and chorizo) and had a lovely afternoon talking with the men whose bar has made Bilbao feel like home.
Stay Tuned!
Check back next week for a recap of Semana Grande in Santander and, in late-August, for what I’m sure will be an extensive post about Aste Nagusia. [Aste Nagusia is Bilbao’s annual festival, held in August. We loved the experience in 2019, when our week-long visit to Bilbao unexpectedly coincided with the party. We’ll see if our sentiment stays the same now that we’re residents!]
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