What to do in the Basque Country Events - Agenda September 2020

TRADITIONS, ART, MUSIC, EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS BASQUE AGENDA. SEPTEMBER 2020.

A list of best events for the traveler in September 2020 in the Basque Country in Spain & France, Rioja & Cantabria selected by Aitor Delgado Tours. Cities: Bilbao, San Sebastian, Biarritz, Rioja, Bayonne, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Guernica…

Please note that some of the events below may change due to regulations to control Covid-19.

Best Basques traditions and festivities in Basque Country:

• In Ordizia. Agricultural Fair. Farm products fair. Every Wednesday.
• In Hondarribia. Agricultural Fair. Sale of local products. Wednesdays at Damarri Plaza and Saturdays at the Port.
• In Mungia. Peasant Market. Exhibition and sale of farm products. Every Friday.
• In Bilbao. Gure Lurreko Merkatuak. Market of products of the hamlets of Bizkaia, made in a traditional way by their farmers, with Basque varieties and native breeds. Slow food, natural and local foods. Tinglados del Arenal. Every Saturday.
• In Tolosa. Agricultural Fair. Farm products fair. Every Saturday.
• In Irun. Agricultural Fair. Vegetable Fair. Every Saturday.
• In Bayonne. Season 2018 run. Bullfights of Bayonne. First bullfighting place in France. Bullring. August 14th, 30th and 31st. And September 1st. Cancelled.
• In Urkabustaiz / Zigoitia / Zuia. The bellowing of the deer. Gorbeia Natural Park. All the month of September.
• In Ordizia. "Euskal Jaiak" (Basque parties). Concerts, Basque rural sport, cooking workshops and gastronomic competitions. Contest of cheeses, cattle, fruits and vegetables, Basque hen and exhibition of perretxikos. Latxa sheep cheese contest. From September 1^st until 9th.
• In Zarautz. Basque parties. Popular food, music in the streets, trikitixa contest, dance performances or recitals of improvisers. From September 1st until 9th.
• In Gernika-Lumo. Day of the rabbit and the cider of Bizkaia. Horticultural fair. September 5th.
• In Lekeitio. "Antzar Eguna" or Goose day, a 300 years old tradition to be seen in the local festivities of St Antoline (from September 1st until 8th.). September 5th. Cancelled
• In Saint Jean de Luz. Creators market. Martxuka merkatua. Halls. From July 5th until September 30th.
• In Elorrio. Agricultural fair and livestock. Handicrafts. Contest of vegetables, cheeses and txakolí. On September 6th.
• In Portugalete. Agricultural Fair. Exhibition and sale of agricultural products. Competition and distribution of prizes for the best Basque cake, cheese and stall decoration. Walk of the Canilla. September 6th.
• In Legazpi. Artzain Eguna. Shepherd Day. Sheep Cheese Contest of Gipuzkoa. Shepherd Dog Contest. September 6th.
• In Hondarribia. Guadalupe Virgin Day. With a traditional parade "Alarde" upto the sanctuary of Guadalupe. September 8th.
• In Bermeo. Arrantzale Eguna (Fisherman's Day). September 9th.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. 22^nd Transparent agricultural market. The producers of the province offer their products to the locals. September 12th.
• In Artziniega. Medieval market. Posts of ciders, bakers, carpenters, potters, morcilleros and artisans, dressed in the clothes of those times. On September 12th. Cancelled.
• In Lanciego. Harvest Festival of Rioja Alavesa. September 14^th. Cancelled.
• In Bermeo. Holy Eufemia Day. Tasting of talo, sale of farm products. VIII Poultry Exhibition. V Bizkaia Poultry Championship. Exhibition of Bermeo cattle, yokes and agricultural machinery. September 16th.
• In Logroño. The Feast of San Mateo is flooded with zurracapote and the start of the vintage came. The festivities of the city include bull fighting, popular lamb chops made with vine wood, and wine stomping of the first grapes of each Rioja wine production village. From September 18th to 27th.
• In Zumaia. Octopus day. Activities of: tasting, exhibition and gastronomic competition. Eusebio Gurrutxaga Square. September 19th.
• In Ibarra. Agricultural, artisan and livestock fair. XX Agricultural, livestock and piparra fair. XV Gastronomic Championship of the Basque Country of Piparra. X Meeting of the Piparra of the Basque Country. XXII Tolosaldea honey contest. From September 20th.
• In Muskiz. Agricultural and livestock fair. XXXVIII Exhibition and sale of farm products. Exhibition of local cattle. Sample of agricultural machinery. Grand Prix of Txakoli. Regional competition of equine cattle and horse riding. September 20th.
• In Mungia. Fair of cattle, wool, horses and goats. Residents and visitors who come to Zarautz take to the streets dressed in traditional Basque costumes on September 20th.
• In Amurrio. "Artzain Eguna" or Shepherd day. Contests sheep, cheese, sheepdogs,… September 20th.
• In Hernani. Apple and cider day. Exhibition of apples and taste of top quality cider. Trikitixa Championship, the mycological exhibition, ball games, popular food, dance exhibition and musical performances. September 20th.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. Medieval Market. More than 200 craft, gastronomy and hospitality stalls will set the streets to become a city of the Middle Ages. From September 25th to 27th. Cancelled
• In Bilbao. Agricultural fair. Exhibition of traditional Basque sports. Ferial of Zorrotza. Festivities of Zorrotza. September 26th.
• In San Sebastian. Mycological fair. XXII Gastronomic Mycological Conference. Perretxiko Jaia (Perretxiko Festival). September 27th.
• In Astigarraga. Sagar Uzta. Cider party. Apple party. Preparation of the first must of the 2020 harvest. Cider dance, kirikoketa, txalaparta and tasting of the must prepared. Apple exhibition, cider and must tasting, demonstrations, sale of local products. September 27th.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. Great Week of Pintxo de Álava. Competition between the pintxos (Basque tapas) that are presented in the competition. Tasting phase: from next October 9th to 18th. Final phase: October 22^nd.

Regarding arts, congress and exhibits in Basque Country:

• In Bilbao. Exhibition: "J. S. Elkano. After the Footprint". It delves into the biography of Juan Sebastian Elkano (1487/88 -1526), and allows the visitor to follow his life imprint, before, during and after the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Basque Maritime Museum. Until December 2020.
• In Zumaia. Ignacio Zuloaga cultural space. Studio of famous Basque pintos of recognized international prestige. Santiago House. Open from April to September. Private visits all year.
• In Bilbao. Exhibition: ABC. The alphabet of the Bilbao Museum. With this expo the 110th birthday of the museum is celebrated. Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. From October 6th, 2018 until December 30th, 2020.
• In San Sebastian. Exhibition: “Elkano. The first travel around the world". The expo claims that the first circumnavigation was possible thanks to Elcano's initiative and his nautical knowledge. Basque Maritime Museum. From November 27, 2019 to December 2020
• In Hernani. Eduardo Chillida: Seeking the light expo. From a trip that the sculptor made in 1963 through Greece, Italy and French Provence in which he discovers new concepts around light and architecture. Chillida Leku. From December 6th, 2019 until January 30th 2021.
• In Bilbao. Olafur Eliasson: In real life. Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson places the viewer's experience at the core of his art. Guggenheim Museum. From February 14th until April 4th, 2021.
• In Bilbao. Richard Artschwager exhibition. Art halfway between painting and sculpture, developing a unique language. Guggenheim museum. From February 29th until August 23th.
• In Getaria. Fashion and Heritage: Cristobal. It puts the focus on Cristóbal Balenciaga himself and the imprint he has left behind as a person through various objects that belonged to him and that have been collected in the Museum's collections. Part of the annual program for the 125th anniversary of his birth. Cristobal Balenciaga Museum. From February 29th to January 10th, 2021.
• In Bilbao. Exhibition Lygia Clark: Painting as an experimental field, 1948−1958. Pioneer of abstraction, the Brazilian Lygia Clark was a fundamental artist of the second half of the 20th century. Guggenheim museum. From March 6th until October 25th.
• In Bilbao. Steve Paxton: Drafting Interior Techniques. It consists of eight ‘studies’ on an interior interior technique ’applied to the body in motion that improvises. It revolves around a question that Paxton constantly posed to himself in his study: What does my body do when I am not aware of it? Azkuna Center. From June 1st until September 20th.
• In San Sebastian. Margaret Watkins: Black Light. Exhibition with the work of a reference photographer from the 20th century. International Center for Contemporary Culture Tabakalera. From June 19th until October 25th.
• In Getaria. Balenciaga Collection by designer Azzedine Alaïa. Unpublished exhibition under the direction of the renowned Olivier Saillard, curator of fashion exhibitions and former director of the Palais Galliera, Paris Fashion Museum. Part of the annual program for the 125th anniversary of his birth. Cristobal Balenciaga Museum. From July 1st to October 2nd. Dates under review by the organizers.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. The culture of Álava, more alive than ever. A new Circuit of Street Arts, rock concerts, jazz, classical music, organ, the Festival of Theater of Humor of Araia and its itinerary through the Territory, MagialdiAraba, or the week of Ancient Music of Álava are some of the events scheduled in more than 40 municipalities and around 50 towns in Alava. From July 3rd to October 18th.
• In Biarritz. Exhibition "And Eugenie created Biarritz, Imperial City". Commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Empress Eugenie de Montijo, July 11, 1920. The exhibition is an invitation to discover these stays of the imperial couple, between 1854 and 1868. Historical Museum. From July 11th until October 10th.
• In Bayonne. Exhibition: La Poterie D'Art de Ciboure 1919 - 1995. Basque Museum of Bayonne. From July 18 to January 3rd, 2021.
• In San Sebastian. Exhibition "Postigo: Chronicle of a time". Sample of the social, cultural, sports and political chronicle from the 70s to the 90s of the photojournalist Fernando Postigo. San Telmo Museum. From July 30th to November 1st. 
• In Bilbao. Navajas Cross. Great musical show. Arriaga Theater. From August 20th until September 13th.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. FesTVal. Biggest event of Spanish Television in Spain. From September 1^st until 5th.
• In Biarritz. Oldarra - Men's choir from the Basque Country. Sainte Eugenie Church. September 7th and 17th.
• In Getxo. Gextophoto. Festival of photography that bets on the use of formats, supports and unconventional spaces to show the images. From September 3th until 27th.
• In San Sebastian. Top 100+ Medical Laser Congress. Organized by Reference Medical. Kursaal - Conference Center. September 4th and 5th.
• In Getaria. Approach to the techniques of Haute Couture tailoring. Master class. Instructor: Javier Martín. Cristobal Balenciaga Museum. From September 4th until 6th.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz, Llodio, Murgía and Bernedo. XXXVIII Ancient Music Week of Álava. Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque pieces are performed, with musical instruments typical of that time, originals or original copies. From September 5th to 12th.
• In San Sebastian. Digital Health Congress: Digital Health in times of COVID. Miramar Palace. From September 7th and 11st.
• In Bilbao. BLV ART. Exhibition and creative spaces in the neighborhood, concerts, performances, theater and contemporary dance performances, installations, video-clip and short film projections… Bilbao La Vieja and San Francisco neighborhoods. From September 10th until 20th.
• In Biarritz. Le Temps d'Aimer la Danse - 30th Edition. This clever combination of classic and contemporary, of innovation and tradition, opens up opportunities for large international companies and young groups. From September 11th until 20th.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz and Murgia, Okondo, Ribabellosa, Artziniega, Nanclares de la Oca, Villabuena, San Román de Campezo, Zalduondo, Amurrio, Lapuebla de Argarzón, Samaniego, Villanueva de Valdegovía, Puentelarrá, Zambrana, Salinas de Añana. VI International Magic Festival. "Magialdia 2020". The most prestigious magicians from around the world attend. From September 14th to 20th.
• In Saint Jean de Luz. Ravel Festival. Mauricio Ravel Auditorium / San Juan de Luz Church. September 15th.
• In Bilbao. The function that goes wrong. Comedy mix between Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes. Arriaga Theater. From September 16th until 27th.
• In Anglet. Jazz Festival. Quintau Theater. From September 17th until 20th.
• In Sopelana. Sopela Kosta Fest. Festival meeting between surfing, nature and music. From September 17th to 20th. Cancelled.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. Program: A space adventure. Concert of the Municipal Band of Music. Secret Water Garden. September 18th.
• In San Sebastian. Donostia Kutxa Kultur Festibala. Hippodrome of San Sebastian. Big party around independent music. On September 18th and 19th.
• In Irún. EKODRIVE, Sustainable Vehicle Fair. Offer of electric and hybrid cars, bicycles and electric scooters. FICOBA. From September 18th until 20th.
• In San Sebastian. 68^th International Film Festival "Zinemaldia". The Donostia Prize, this year, goes to actor Viggo Mortesen. From September 18th to 26th.
• In San Sebastian. Sebastiane (LGBTQ) Awards: Sebastiane Award of the San Sebastian International Festival and the Sebastiane Latino Award. From From September 18th to 26th.
• In Saint Jean de Luz. Festivals of the Rue de la République. Parade for the center of the city. September 19^th.
• In Bayonne. Exhibition Raphaël in Bayonne: the master, his pupils, his copyists in the collections of the Bonnat-Helleu museum. 2020 marks the five hundred years since the death of Raffaello Santi dit Raphaël (1483-1520), genius of the Italian Renaissance. From September 19th to October 4th.
• In Bilbao. Bilboko Kalealdia: Festival of theater and street arts. Street shows, contemporary dance, circus and marionettes Gran Vía and Casco Viejo. From September 22nd until 27th.
• In Bilbao. Newly created Basque music. Symphony Orchestra of the Basque Country. Campos Elíseos Theater. September 24th
• In Biarritz. Braderie de Biarritz. Nearly 150 shops in Biarritz offer the biggest brands at discounted prices. Ready-to-wear, lingerie, shoes, fashion accessories, luggage, perfumes and beauty products, home decoration, table and house linen ... .Centre town. From September 25th until 27th.
• In Bayonne. Concert at the Cathedral. Coro Ametsa d'Irun in September 19th. Pottoroak choir and brass ensemble in September 26th.
• In Bilbao. Break On Stage 2020: International Festival of Urban Cultures. The best International Breakdance. Urban dance, music and urban sports performances: breakdance, scooter, bmx, urban dance, parkour, beat-box and Cyr Wheel. Bilbao Arena. September 26th.
• In San Sebastian. Schubert. Symphony Orchestra of the Basque Country. Kursaal Auditorium. September 28th and 29th.
• In San Sebastian. TV RISE 2020. It is one of the very best events on the future of TV and video advertising. Maria Cristina Hotel. From September 28th until 30th.
• In Biarritz. 29^th Latinamerican cinema & Culture Festival of Biarritz. From September 28th until October 4^th.
• In San Sebastian. Eurogap Marketing Forum. Meeting of professionals from the business world. Kursaal Auditorium. September 30th.
• In Getaria. I International Congress on Cristóbal Balenciaga. Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum. 125th anniversary of the birth of the brilliant dressmaker. Next October 1st and 2nd.
• In Bilbao. XI Humor Festival. Ja! Bilbao is a festival that highlights the importance of humors in the arts, particularly in literature. Sala BBK, Alhóndiga Bilbao, Mercado de la Ribera, Campos Elíseos Theatre. From next October 2nd until 11th.
• In Bilbao. Open House Bilbao. Festival of open doors of Bilbao in more than 45 buildings to better understand the city through its architecture and urbanism. Free guided tours. From next October 24th and 25th.
• In Bilbao. Kandinsky at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Paintings and works on paper and trace the aesthetic evolution of Kadinsky throughout his career. From next November 20th until May 30th, 2021

Regarding Basques and others sport:

• In San Sebastian. Horse races. San Sebastian Racecourse. From June to September
• In Biarritz. Basque pelota in Grand Chistera. Trophy of the City of Biarritz. Parc Mazon. September: every Thursday.
• In Biarritz. Basque ball in cesta punta. Open de Biarritz. Finale. September 2nd.
• In Biarritz. Basque pelota in Grand Chistera. Trophy of the City of Biarritz. September 3rd.
• In San Sebastian. Sport Jam Surf Test. Surf festival where you can discover and try materials of this sport. Kursaal Palace. From September 4th until 6th.
• In Saint Jean de Luz. Triathlons. 5 Triathlons (Iron man, Half Iron Man, Olympic distance, sprint, young handi). Gymnase Urdazuri. September 5^th.
• In San Sebastian – Donostia. The biggest rowing event of the year in the North of Spain (dating back to 1879), the flag of La Concha will be hold by the winner of this event. From September 6th until 13th.
• In Biarritz. UEFA U19 Elite Round of Football. Saint Martin stadium. Georgia vs Russia September 2nd. Russia vs France September 7th.
• In Saint Jean de Luz. Basque Ball with chistera. Municipal fronton. September 7^th
• In Biarritz. Basque pelota at cesta punta - Master Pro / Tour. Biarritz Jaï Alaï. September 7th, 9th and 14th
• In Bilbao. LF Endesa Women's Basketball Super Cup. Bilbao Arena. Semifinals and final. September 12th and 13th.
• In Saint Jean de Luz. 24th Rally of the sea of old vehicles. Parade for the center of the city. September 13th.
• In Lekunberri - Andoain. Marathon Plazaola Greenways. On September 13th.
• In Biarritz. Basque Force Show. Mazon Park. September 13th.
• In Bilbao. Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Female and male categories. Bridge of La Salve. September 14th. Cancelled.
• In Biarritz. Basque pelota at cesta punta - Open d'Aguilera. Biarritz Jaï Alaï. September 16th, 21st, 23rd, 28th and 30th.
• In Azkoitia and Azpeitia. Half Marathon (open). Each year more than 1,000 runners participate. September 19th. Provisional date.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. BLAN Walk Cycling tour. The oldest in Spain with a purely cyclotouristic character. On September 20th. Cancelled.
• In Vitoria-Gasteiz. Trail 2020. Marathon of 16 and 26 kilometers. September 20th.
• In Saint Jean de Luz. Airshow. Bay of Saint Jean de Luz. September 27th.
• In Anglet. Patrouille de France. Airshow. September 27th.

And remember, if you are thinking to come to Bilbao, San Sebastian, Rioja, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Guernica, Pamplona or anywhere else in the Basque Country, you can get a better understanding on our culture and traditions with a local guide.

Enjoy the Basque Country!

You can also contact us or expand information through the new website that we launched in December 2019