Zapato Azule, popular festival in Ondarroa

Zapato Azule — 'blue Saturday' — is a popular festival held on the last weekend of June in Ondarroa, one of the most important fishing ports in Euskadi, on the coast of Bizkaia. The celebration fills the town's old quarter with a festive atmosphere throughout the day.

Its name comes from the colour of the Mahón shirt, the traditional clothing of the arrantzales — the local fishermen — which over time has become the shared festive uniform of the entire Bizkaia coast. During Zapato Azule, nearly everyone attending wears this shirt, giving the festival a unified and instantly recognisable visual identity.

With a strongly popular and ethnographic character, Zapato Azule reflects Ondarroa's seafaring identity and its connection to the fishing tradition of the Basque coast, bringing the whole community together around a shared symbol.