Boise, Idaho, is preparing for a once-in-the-last-decade event that will see thousands of visitors flock to one of the USA’s most eagerly awaited cultural festivals.
Jaialdi 2025 (July 20-August 3) will be a six-day celebration of Basque culture, featuring music, dancing, food, athletics and more.
The event, one of the biggest celebrations of Basque culture anywhere in the world, is usually held every five years but next year’s running will be the first in a decade due to Covid.
It is always staged during the last weekend of July, which coincides with the Boise Basque community’s celebration of San Ignatius de Loyola, the patron saint of the Basque people.
Many original Basque immigrants came to Idaho in the late 1800s from Basque Country (a region that straddles parts of northern Spain and southwestern France) to work as sheepherders.
Today, Boise is home to the largest concentration of Basques per capita in the U.S. and has a district in the city known as “Basque Block”.
Visitors can experience this culture through the only Basque Museum in the U.S., and through food and drink at any of the area’s Basque restaurants and Market.
Andre Womack, Tourism Development Specialist for Idaho Tourism, said Jaialdi 2025 offers a “great opportunity to discover Boise”.
“Each day, the Basque Block in downtown Boise comes alive featuring everything from traditional dance performances to athletic competitions. And don’t miss Sports Night, with traditional Basque sports like harrijasotzaileak (weightlifting), aizkolariak (woodchopping) and herri kirolak (traditional events like throwing hay bales and hoisting anvils),” he commented.
