Bilbao Semana Grande
Sat 1st Aug 2009
Bilbao August
Bilbao celebrates its Basque heritage with this vibrant fiesta. More than 100,000 people join in the Bilbao Semana Grande (Aste Nagusia) celebrations, which include the famous Strongman games and firework displays hosted by a different nation each evening. 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. Music is key to the celebrations and there are free performances of all kinds on stages in squares and churches throughout the city. 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. Shoppers be warned, many of the stores close down for the fiesta, so browsing boutiques is not really an option.