Away for Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia? Get your kit and participate from abroad
A couple of years ago, my friend Zigor Alkorta, chief photographer for Deia newspaper, asked me to write a small article on how I enjoy Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia (the biggest week of festivities in Bilbao), and I obliged.
As I wrote then, I barely look at the schedule of events to avoid that feeling of disappointment when I see what music bands I will miss this year, and I try not to imagine too hard what a blast my friends are having partying every night.
This year is easier than ever to feel involved or torture yourself if, like me, you can’t participate live in the fun. For hose of us who are forced to miss the festival for whatever reason (work or study commitments, or bitten by the love bug), the city of Bilbao has created a kit to raise awareness of the Bilbao festival in all those places where Bilbao ‘ex-pats’ have set up home. In these kits, friends living abroad will find everything they need to be able to celebrate their own Aste Nagusia wherever they are:
- Disposable camera
- Playlist
- Aste Nagusia glasses and handkerchief
- Pack of Maris
- Kalimotxo and Marmitako recipes
- Dossier
To register, just click here and fill out the registration form. You can do it in Basque, Spanish and English.
Thanks for passing by: ↓
4 thoughts on “Away for Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia? Get your kit and participate from abroad”
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AUPA
Aupa back!
Kaixo Henar,
Even though both Donostai and Bilbo have their own week-long summer festivals, as a donostiar I have to reckon that the best Aste Nagusia festivals that I enjoyed were the ones thrown in Bilbo.
The Donostia Aste Nagusia is an elegant, well presented, visually beautiful bundle of events that remains somehow distant to locals because it is geared to please visitors. The Bilbo Aste Nagusia is another sort of festival, more down to earth, more joyous, more folksy because it is geared to please locals (and then visitor like me join locals in the fun). I have fond memories of the Aste Nagusias I enjoyed in Bilbo: They were great fun, even though they were messy (in an orderly sort of way, because I was very impressed how efficient the street cleaning service was, within a couple of hours after the closure of the night stands the city streets would look spotless — Iruña learn from Bilbo!)
My memories of the Bilbo Aste Nagusia are from the early 1990s but I guess the partying remains as good or better than then. Or maybe my fond memories are just a product of having enjoyed Bilbo under the spell of a cute boy from Basauri who took me to all these places in the city…
Ongi izan,
Aitzol Azurtza
Hehehe… I whole-heartedly agree with you: Parties are always better when spent under the spell of a cute boy!
I’m glad to hear you had so much fun during Bilbao’s Aste Nagusiak. I have fond memories of it too, although not many, as I left the Basque Country at 21, so I didn’t have much time to enjoy them. Since moving to the US I have been to Aste Nagusia only a couple of times because I rather take vacation during the month of July.
Muxu handi bat. Gustatuko litzaidake NY-en egotea urtemugarentzat, baina ez dut uste lortuko dudanik.