The summer months are full of culture, festivals, music, sport and all sorts of events that combine the traditional and the modern, the local and the international. If you want to get to know Bilbao Bizkaia in a different and special way, here are the main events taking place during these months.

The main summer festivities and events in Bilbao Bizkaia

JULY

Bilboko kalealdia (1 – 6)

During the first week of July, street theatre, dance, music, clowns, circus and puppet shows take over Bilbao. The capital of Bizkaia fills up with street performances, almost all of them free, involving companies from all over Europe.

Getxo Jazz (3 – 7)

Jazzaldia, the International Jazz Festival of Getxo, is a longstanding event that will celebrate its 47th edition in 2024. For 5 days, the village of Getxo transforms into a mecca of jazz with concerts by international artists, family shows, jam sessions, and more.

Kaleka. Lekeitio Street Arts Festival (5 – 7)

The Kaleka, Lekeitio Street Arts Festival includes performing arts as well as live and action arts. During these days, numerous artists from different disciplines take to the streets of the beautiful town of Lekeitio, turning it into a vibrant spectacle.

Bilbao BBK Live (11 - 13)

Renowned national and international artists, beautiful natural surroundings and the city of Bilbao at your feet: this is what has made Bilbao BBK Live one of the leading rock, pop and indie music festivals in Europe since its first edition in 2006.

Madalen Eguna in Bermeo, Elantxobe and Mundaka (22)

The Madalen Eguna is a traditional maritime festival that each year commemorates the dispute that existed between the Biscayan municipalities of Bermeo and Mundaka over the possession of the island of Ízaro. According to legend, the conflict was resolved with a regatta judged by Elantxobe and won by the rowers of Bermeo. Nowadays, during the Madalen Eguna, several events are organised to commemorate the dispute, ending with a great festival that symbolises the bond between the three towns.

Bilbao Blues Festival (25 – 28)

The popular Bilbao Blues Festival returns for its third edition in 2024, offering top-notch concerts. The main stage in El Arenal, at the heart of Bilbao, hosts a dynamic program, complemented by events across the city.

Getxo Circuit (30)

The 78th edition of the Getxo Circuit or Otxoa Brothers Memorial will be held in 2024. This is an emblematic cycling race that this year is also organised in memory of the Tour de France that recently passed through the town and the roads of Bilbao Bizkaia.

AUGUST

Pozalagua Festival

The Pozalagua Festival takes place in the Armañón Nature Reserve, near the Pozalagua Caves. It is a unique natural setting in which to enjoy music, stand-up comedians and theatre performances in an auditorium carved out of the mountain itself.

Aste Nagusia in Bilbao (17 – 25)

Aste Nagusia or Bilbao’s Great Week, represented by the iconic Marijaia, is the capital's main festival. There are 9 intense days of partying until dawn, concerts, activities for all ages, parades, fireworks, Basque culture and much more.

SEPTEMBER

Getxo Folk BBK

The 40th edition of the Getxo International Folk Festival will be held in 2024, bringing traditional sounds and local and international folk culture to this town in Bizkaia for 5 days.

Bilbao Triathlon (14)

In September, Bilbao will host an authentic sporting challenge, combining swimming, cycling and athletics, in which thousands of people will push to their physical and mental limits, with the estuary and the most emblematic places of the capital as witnesses.

Antzar Eguna (5)

Antzar Eguna or Day of the Geese is the highlight of Lekeitio's patron saint festivities honoring San Antolin. It is a tradition dating back to more than three centuries ago in which the participants try to hold on to a (fake) goose hanging on a rope suspended over the port of Lekeitio.

Arrantzale Eguna en Bermeo (9)

The Arrantzale Eguna or Fisherman's Day is the main day of the patron saint's festivities of Andra Mari in Bermeo. It is a day full of activities for all ages, during which you can see the locals dressed in traditional arrantzale or fishermen's costumes.