Euskal Jaia in Zarautz, Basque Folklore Festival

Euskal Jaia is the major celebration of Basque folklore in Zarautz, a coastal town in Gipuzkoa. Its central day takes place on 9 September, when the streets fill with dantzaris dancing to the sound of the chistu and other traditional instruments.

This main day is the culmination of a broader programme that begins on 1 September and gradually sets the festive mood across the town over several days. The preceding activities include dance and trikitilari championships, popular theatre, the Lizardi prize for young bertsolaris, and the Euskal Jaia Infantil, a version designed for children.

Euskal Jaia brings together different expressions of traditional Basque culture — dance, music, bertsolaritza, theatre — within a single programme, making it one of the key events of the summer in Zarautz for anyone wanting to engage with Basque folklore and popular traditions.