Blog
23/01/2026
At Nekatur, we believe that any time of the year is a good time to discover the Basque Country and its rural surroundings, but if you also want to experience some of our most festive and fun-filled days, you cannot miss our carnivals.
The carnivals of the Basque Country, as in many other places, have their origins in pagan celebrations marking the end of winter, which later merged with Christian traditions. They are held 40 days before the beginning of Lent, as a festive period prior to the restrictions associated with this time of reflection and the limitations linked to religious worship.
In Basque, several words are used to refer to carnival: Ihauteriak or Iñauteriak, Ihoteak or Aratusteak are among the most commonly used.
The three Basque capitals celebrate their carnivals over several days, with parades of floats and carnival groups standing out. But beyond Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao and Donostia, carnivals are also deeply rooted in rural areas. And how could it be otherwise—what better way to celebrate the arrival of good weather and the beginning of work in the fields?
In Araba, you can find carnival celebrations in several rural municipalities. Among the most well-known are those of Santa Cruz de Campezo, Llaudio, Agurain, Asparrena, Salcedo and Kuartango. In all of them, there is one main character around whom the celebration revolves, and the festivities end either by burning the character or throwing it into the river.
In addition to these, the carnival of Zalduondo is a must-see if you visit the rural area of Araba during carnival. Considered the oldest in the entire province, its main character is Markitos. He is dressed in a suit, a beret and a necklace made of painted eggshells, and after being paraded through the village on a donkey, he is put on trial for all the wrongs committed and is then burned. In this way, all the evils of the village are purified until the following year.
In Zalduondo, you can also visit the Lazarraga Palace, now an ethnographic museum, which houses a comprehensive exhibition on the main rural carnivals of Araba.
These are the rural accommodations associated with Nekatur that we offer if you would like to stay near Zalduondo during the 2026 carnivals: rural accommodations associated with Nekatur near Zalduondo.
In Bizkaia, the mining carnival of Meatzaldea features fire and smoke as key elements in a celebration that brings together history and mythology. Representing the diseases that affected miners, Bizkarbaltza parades through the streets; Hartza awakens from its winter hibernation; and Zalgaluze represents hunger. These are carnivals in which dance plays a central role in several of the main activities.
The carnival of Mundaka (aratuste) is one of the most curious in Bizkaia. On Carnival Sunday, men and women parade separately and at different times. The men, dressed as atorrak, wear white from head to toe, with a long skirt and a pillowcase with lace covering their heads. During their parade, accompanied by musical instruments, they sing different songs, including a new one each year in which they recount the anecdotes of that year in the village.
Source: Turismo Urdaibai (turismourdaibai.com)
The women, meanwhile, dress as lamiak (mermaids), traditional mythological characters from Urdaibai. They wear black clothing, a white wig and a colourful headscarf. Their faces are painted white, with black around the eyes and red on the lips and cheeks. They also walk through Mundaka singing and dancing, and at the end of the afternoon they usually join the atorrak so that both groups finish the day singing together.
These are the rural accommodations associated with Nekatur that we offer if you would like to stay near Mundaka during the 2026 carnivals: rural accommodations associated with Nekatur near Mundaka.
The province of Gipuzkoa is home to some of the most well-known carnivals in the Basque Country. Due either to its proximity to Navarre or to France, many of its regions feature characters and rituals similar to those found in neighbouring areas across the borders.
However, if we move into one of its inland regions, we discover carnivals with deep-rooted traditions. We are referring to the Debagoiena region and the carnivals celebrated in its towns. In some of them, such as Aretxabaleta, the tradition of the Txino Dantza (Txin Dance) is still upheld: those who come of age that year dress in a white tunic or nightgown, wear a hat or headscarf with knots, and put on one sock of each colour. Dressed in this way, they walk through the streets of Aretxabaleta on Carnival Sunday, singing and dancing a choreography that has been passed down for many years.
But when it comes to carnival in Gipuzkoa, the most famous one is undoubtedly the carnival of Tolosa. This is one of the few carnivals that continued to be celebrated during the Franco dictatorship, as the people of Tolosa disguised it as “spring festivities” in order to preserve one of their most deeply rooted celebrations.
The festivities begin on Jueves Gordo (Fat Thursday) in the Town Hall Square, in a way similar to a chupinazo, and it is traditional to dress in brightly coloured tunics. The following day, Viernes Flaco (Lean Friday), people do not wear costumes, but the celebrations continue with a theatrical performance organised and performed by the residents of Tolosa.
As for the weekend, Saturday is reserved for giants and big-headed figures, as well as for the children of the town, with tamborradas being the true stars of the day. Sunday, meanwhile, is the main day of the Tolosa carnival and, after the diana, people take to the streets wearing pyjamas, dressing gowns and slippers, giving way to floats and brass bands that keep the festivities going well into the night.
On Carnival Tuesday, the burial of the sardine brings the Tolosa carnivals to a close.
These are the rural accommodations associated with Nekatur that we offer if you would like to stay near Tolosa during the 2026 carnivals: rural accommodations associated with Nekatur near Tolosa.
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