You can complement your leisure time by enjoying the Basque culture, its traditions and sports activities in December 2022, during your visit or stay in any province of the Basque Country.

I have selected for you the Basque culture events of December 2022 that I think will make you understand and get to know the locals better.

 

Basque culture events in  San Sebastian and Gipuzkoa

  • Olentzero in Mirandaola. Storytelling at the Basque Iron Museum where you can learn about the history of Olentzero and Mari Domingi, and the Napoleon donkey. Look for the Olentzero in the Mirandaola park and be with him. Mirandaola ironworks. From November 4th to December 31st.
  • Christmas in San Sebastian. Show of lights and music, with laser beams from the Island of Santa Clara. Kursaal Christmas Children’s Park. Craft fair and the Ferris wheel of San Sebastian. San Sebastian Christmas Market. Planetarium in Alderdi Eder. From November 30th to January 8th.
  • From Scheherazade. Company Maria Pages. Flamenco. María Pagés, choreographer and recent Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts. Victoria Eugenia Theater. December 10th.
  • “Pietro Antonio Locatelli: The Virtuoso – The Poet”. The “Paganini” of the eighteenth century. Il Giardino Armonico Orchestra, led by Giovanni Antonini, and Isabelle Faust on violin. Kursaal Auditorium. December 11th.
  • Rafa Rueda Concert – Winter Solstice. Choir, guitar, voice, electronics and literature. Chillida Leku Museum. December 16th.
  • Opera “ Farewell to Bohemia “, with music by Pablo Sorozábal and libretto by Pio Baroja. For the 125 and 150th anniversary of the birth of the San Sebastian musician Pablo Sorozábal and the San Sebastian writer Pío Baroja. Victoria Eugenia Theater. December 16th and 18th.
  • Festivity of Santa Lucía, patron saint of dressmakers. Choir, traditions and music. Performance by the Orfeoi Gazte of the Orfeón Donostiarra made up of children between the ages of 7 and 14. Families with children. Cristobal Balenciaga Museum. December 18th.
  • Mississippi Gospel Choir. Spiritual songs from the 19th century to a tribute to protest songs and freedom marches. Kursaal Auditorium. December 29th.
  • The best of Broadway. Hollywood Symphony Orchestra. Grease, Chicago, Fame, Singing in the Rain, Moulin Rouge… Kursaal Auditorium. December 30th.
  • Balenciaga: character. It explores a new perspective of his work, never traveled before, and focused on what makes “a Balenciaga” recognizable. Cristobal Balenciaga Museum. March 19th, 2022 to March 1st, 2023. In Getaria.

 

Enjoy Basque culture in Bilbao and Biscay in December 2022

  • Raphael Tour 60th anniversary. The composer and singer Miguel Rafael Martos, better known as Raphael, will begin his Tour 6.0 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his musical career. Bilbao Arena Miribilla. December 2nd.
  • Durangoko Azoka. Basque culture fair: writers, musicians, culture lovers, Basque speakers, the media…. They present their new projects. Landako fairground in Durango. From December 7th to 11th.
  • BBK Mendi Film Festival Bilbao-Bizkaia. Movies, actors, directors, and activities related to mountains, adventure, and extreme sports. Official Section, round tables, conferences and special events. Until December 9th to 18th.
  • Gabonart – Bilbao Craft Fair. Ceramics, costume jewellery, toys, leather, wood carving, textiles… attended by artisans. Demonstrations of trades, workshops and many more surprises. Arenal pier. From December 16th to January 5th.
  • Olentzero and Mari Domingi. Basque characters who announce Christmas on December 24th at night in many cities and towns. Caserío del Olentzero, next to the Uriguen Park, in Mungia.
  • Christmas concert by the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, together with the Bilbao Municipal Band, the trombone soloist Alberto Urretxo and the trumpet soloist of the Chicago Symphony, Esteban Batallán. Euskalduna Palace. December 22nd and 23rd.
  • Basque soprano Ainhoa Arteta in concert. Panorama of her professional life for the traditional song, local folklore and the recovery of the roots and the spirit of the ancestral tradition. Arriaga Theater. December 28th.
  • Fito & Fitipaldis in concert. Tour of theaters and auditoriums. Latest album “Cada vez cadaver” and the band’s classics interpreted with a different nuance. Victoria Eugenia Theater. Euskalduna Auditorium. December 29th and 30th.
  • Sections / Intersections. 25 years of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum Collection. The 3 parts that make it up: Material Life, in gallery 105; Unfolding narratives, on the second floor; and Marking history, in the third. Until January 22nd, 2023.
  • Rubens sketches at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. Works on loan from the Musée Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne. Seven sketches inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses make up the exhibition. Until January 22nd, 2023.

 

Basque cultural activities Vitoria-Gasteiz and Alava in December 2022

  • Parade, theater and candle lighting for the International Euskera Day (Basque language). Minak Potato and Teantro Company. Plaza of the White Virgin of Vitoria. December 3rd.
  • Monumental nativity scenes of Florida Park. More than 50 years of history, with more than 200 life-size figures. Other traditional nativity scenes such as those of the Colegio Sagrado Corazón, the one in the Casa del Cordón, the nativity scenes of the Villa-Suso Palace or those of the Álava Nativity Scene Association. From December 3rd to January 6th.
  • Ardoaraba. Event whose absolute protagonist is good wine. Tents in the main squares of Vitoria-Gasteiz to taste wines from Rioja Alavesa or Txakolis from Alava, and from other places; with delicious and imaginative pintxos. From December 3rd to 7th.
  • Night of the Candles. The fire heralds the start of Christmas in Vitoria-Gasteiz, with more than 15,000 candles throughout the city. Theatrical show with music, dance and fireworks, as well as mulled wine tasting. December 16th.
  • Mazoka – the Drawing and Illustration Market of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Exhibition and sale. Activities from the world of drawing and illustration, musical performances, workshops, talks, demonstrations, etc. Old Water Deposit, Montehermoso Cultural Center. From December 16th to 18th.
  • Christmas Ice Rink in Vitoria-Gasteiz. More than 600 square meters of track and a 30-meter long slide, both outdoors. Florida Park. From December 16th to January 8th.
  • Vitoria-Gasteiz Half Marathon. Classic date for fans from all over the world. Mendizorrotza Stadium. December 18th.
  • Ruper Ordorika in concert. A benchmark for Basque song with a discography of 22 works and three albums. Jimmy Jazz Room in Vitoria-Gasteiz. December 22nd.
  • The Nutcracker. The most Christmas-like work of universal classical ballet. Music by P. Tchaikovsky. Premiered in Saint Petersburg in 1892. International Classical Ballet. Main Theater. December 23rd.
  • Articulated nativity scene in Laguardia. Baroque nativity scene endowed with movement. 73 pieces in Rococo style. Church of Santa María de los Reyes. Representations: December 25th, January 1st and 6th, and February 6th.
  • Ara Malikian World Tour. Lebanese violinist of Armenian descent. Aitzina Folk: X Vitoria-Gasteiz Solidarity Folk Music Festival. Mendizorrotza Sports Center. December 30th.

You can also ask us about Basque culture activities if you have booked or are enjoying one of our personalized and private tours in December 2022.

If you want to expand your knowledge about our luxury private tours, you can contact us.

November 29, 2022