Festivals in San Sebastian

Tamborrada

The famous Tamborrada of San Sebastian is one of the most important festivals in the Basque city. It is celebrated on January 20, the day of St. Sebastian, and its beginnings date back to the end of the 19th century as part of a celebration profoundly historical and autonomous.

This festival consists of a series of parades of drummers, who are dressed in Napoleonic military costumes, and replicants, who are dressed as cooks and/or water carriers and who carry wooden barrels and ironwork.

The music performed in the Tamborrada is mostly from the 19th century and includes the city's anthem, the famous March of San Sebastian.

In what is known as the Children's Tamborrada, which took place for the first time in 1927, more than 50 children's companies from the student centres of San Sebastian participate.

The festival lasts 24 hours, until midnight on January 20, when the city gathers in Constitution Square around the Tamborrada of the “Unión Artesana”, which is the oldest society in the city.

The Great Week

Another important festivity in San Sebastian is the Great Week, which takes place in the week around August 15, the day of the Assumption, from Saturday to Saturday.

The San Sebastian Great Week—in Basque called Donostiako Aste Nagusia—is a celebration of enormous tradition, joy, colour and tourist attraction.

The entire city is transformed into a party, with hundreds of events taking place. All the inhabitants display their warm hospitality.

One of the most significant events of the Great Week is the fireworks contest, which takes place in the Alderdi Eder gardens, next to the City Hall.

Other very popular events are the horse races, in which the appreciated Gold Cup is awarded, as well as the picturesque parades of giants and big heads that delight the little ones.