Fêtes de Bayonne, France

The Fêtes de Bayonne take place in the city of Bayonne, in the French Basque Country (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south-western France). The city is easy to reach by train, with direct services from Bordeaux (under two hours) and Paris (about four hours by TGV), and Biarritz Pays Basque airport is only a few kilometres away. During the festival the city centre is closed to cars, extra buses and trains run late into the night, and most events are concentrated in the old quarters of Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne, which are easily explored on foot.

The festival is considered the largest public celebration in France, attracting about one million visitors over five days. It was first held in 1932, inspired by the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, and has grown into a major event rooted in Basque traditions. Visitors traditionally dress in white with a red scarf and sash, which gives the whole city a distinctive look.

The event lasts five days, from Wednesday to Sunday. Since 2024 it has been held in mid-July; before that it took place in late July or early August. It opens on Wednesday at 10 PM, when the keys of the city are thrown to the crowd from the Town Hall balcony, and continues with brass bands, parades, concerts, fireworks, Basque dances and sports, cow runs and bullfights. Thursday is children’s day, and an illuminated parade passes through the centre on Saturday and Sunday evenings. The 2026 festival ran from 15 to 19 July; the next one takes place from 14 to 18 July 2027.

Prices and Opening Hours

The opening night on Wednesday and the whole of Thursday are free for everyone. From Friday 10 AM until Sunday midnight, visitors need a paid wristband, the Pass Fêtes, to enter the festival area: in 2026 it cost €15 for the whole weekend. Children under 16, Bayonne residents and people working inside the perimeter do not pay. The pass is sold online, at post offices and in local shops from early June.

Street performances, parades, concerts and fireworks inside the festival area need no further tickets. Bullfights in the Bayonne arena are ticketed separately.

The festivities run day and night: cultural activities and family events fill the daytime, while concerts, parades and big street parties continue late into the night.