Bilbao Semana Grande (Aste Nagusia)
Bilbao celebrates its Basque heritage with this vibrant fiesta. Over 100,000 people join in the Bilbao Semana Grande (Big Week or Aste Nagusia) celebrations, which include the famous Strongman games and firework displays hosted by a different nation each evening.
Music is key to the celebrations and there are free live performances on stages in squares and churches throughout the city. Two are particularly worth a visit; the stage in the Plaza Nueva (where you can also eat some fantastic tapas at the Café Bar Bilbao) and the quarry amphitheatre behind the town hall. Every night in these locations a major concert kicks off at midnight and continues well into the small hours.
Shoppers be warned, most city stores close down for the fiesta. The festival runs right through the night for nine days and come the weekend it is not unusual to still see people weaving through the throng as the sun rises. The streets are lined with marquees from various bars and societies, many accompanied by booming sound systems.
The best places to view the firework displays are the city's bridges, from where you'll see rockets soar over the top of buildings, lighting up the night sky.
Related Information
Website: Grande Semana (Aste Nagusia) Website
| Town Information: | Bilbao |
|---|---|
| Full Name: |
| Name: | Bilbao Iniciativas Turisticas (Vizcaya Province) |
|---|---|
| Location: | Bilbao |
| Address: | 1 Paseo del Arenal |
| Phone: | +34 94 4795 770 |
| Fax: | +34 94 4795 761 |
| Name: | Spanish National Tourist Office |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036 |
| Fax: | +34 913 43 35 00 |
| Name: | Spanish National Tourist Office (TourSpain) |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036 |
| Phone: | +34 913 43 35 00 or UK: +44 (0) 20 7486 8077 |
| Name: | Spanish Tourist Board (London) |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | PO Box 4009, London, W1A 6NB |
| Email: | info.londres@tourspain.es |
| Phone: | +44 (0) 20 7486 8077 |
| Fax: | +44 (0) 20 7486 8034 |
