Fetes and festivals

Local towns thoroughly enjoy many fetes and festivals throughout the year. This is unique region which really knows how to celebrate in style. For many occasions it is normal to join in and soak up the atmosphere, the Basque local music and culture.

Every village and town throughout the summer has its own town day which is marked with a festival, St Jean de Luz has a town’s day in June and everyone wears black and red. Bayonne has its day in August and everyone wears red and white, all the streets are filled with people having a good time, dancing and singing wearing the town’s colours. So for every weekend somewhere in the region there will be a party.

This is Europe’s no 1 surf capital with fantastic Atlantic waves for the surfers and so major surf competitions are held here. In May a week of surf competitions and celebrating turns St Jean de Luz into a surf capital and for a week in July Biarritz is the location for the world’s long board surf competition.

This is the Labourd province and the maritime region of the three Northern provinces of the Basque country. This province has the best of both worlds and the best beaches and thriving fishing ports and as it has been a major fishing region for centuries, festivals are held in the fishing ports to honour and celebrate the fish caught here. St Jean de Luz has a beautiful harbour and celebrates the ‘The Night of the Sardine’ and has a separate festival for ‘the Tuna’ both of these festivals are held in July.

Many Jazz festivals and competitions are held in St Jean de Luz and Biarritz throughout the year.

In June the week of the ‘Casetas’ is when the bars and bodegas officially open for the summer in Biarritz. All the local bars have a stand and they all set up along the magnificent Cote des Basques beach for one week and it is a lively party.

National Public holidays in France 2006

National Public holidays in France 2007