How to do Jaialdi

With Boise being home to one of the densest Basque populations outside Europe, it’s no surprise the event is the largest celebration of Basque culture in North America. Held during the last week of July every five years, the entire city of Boise is filled with the scent of chorizo, the sound of accordions and entire generations of families dancing in the streets. For upcoming festival details, visit the Jaialdi website.

Want to know how to experience Jaialdi the Basque way? We’ll give you the rundown, taken straight from the Basques who call Boise home.

Tuesday & Wednesday

A plate of classic pintxos featuring smoked meat, pepper and cheese.

Starting at 5 pm everyday, there’s evening parties in Downtown Boise’s Basque block — and Jaialdi coordinator Julie Hahn says it’s the best way to kick off the week.

“When it cools off, it’s like the block transforms into those little Basque towns tucked in the countryside,” Julie says. “It really recreates the atmosphere of an old-world town filled with a vibrant community.”

The evening parties are held right in Boise’s historic Basque Block. All along the streets are old brick buildings that were once home to boarding houses and community centers where the first Basque immigrants used to live and work back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you look closely, you can find the lyrics of traditional songs etched into the sidewalk.

The Basques are a proud ethnic group from northern Spain and southern France. Their culture, cuisine and language is completely unique from the rest of Spain and France.

Think of these evening parties as your first plunge into Basque culture… more specifically, the food. At any of the vendors lined up along the Basque block, you can grab traditional dishes made just like they are in Euskadi (Basque Country).

Bite into spicy chorizo, a sausage simmering with peppery juices. Grab a platter of croquetas — crispy dough fried golden brown, filled with cheesy goodness. Try any number of pintxos (that’s Basque for tapas) that feature smoked meat, seafood, cheese and more.

A huge pan of sizzling paella in the middle of The Basque Block.

At the center of it all, you’ll find a crowd gathered around a huge pan of paella — a simmering dish of rice, tomatoes, peppers, chorizo, mussels, clams, shrimp, chicken, chorizo and saffron. (Fun fact: Paella is traditionally a Spanish dish, but it’s the Basques who really made it their own.)

“Basque cooking is all about wholesome, simple food,” says Tara Eiguren, owner of The Basque Market alongside her husband Tony. “It’s all about taking what you’ve got and letting the natural flavors come through — we don’t cover anything up.”

Need a place to stay during Jaialdi? Take a look at our accommodations guide.

Thursday

Basque athlete lifts 500 pounds as the crowd cheers him on. Photo courtesy of Jon Hodgson.

Thursday night is known by all Basques and Jaialdi regulars as Sports Night — and it can’t be missed.

Basque sports aren’t typical friendly competitions. They’re true feats of strength, might, power and will. According to the Eigurens, the tradition behind these competitions goes back hundreds (if not thousands) of years.

“Basque sports are all about, ‘Anything you can do, I can do better,’” Tony says, chuckling. “I just picture an old Basque farmer, standing out in that field and telling his friend, ‘I bet you can’t lift that rock.’ And that’s how it all began.”

Extreme wood chopping at Jaialdi’s sports night. Photo courtesy of Jon Hodgson.

From the stadium seating in Boise’s Centurylink Arena, you’ll see athletes of all sizes lift solid stone boulders weighing 350 pounds or more. (A few can even effortlessly roll it along their shoulders before laying it gently on the ground.) You’ll witness tug of war taken to the next level with Sokatira, where men will do anything to pull the other team across the line… and so much more.

From extreme wood chopping to lightning-fast handball, all of these old-world sports are taken to the 21st century with smoke machines, bright lights, loud announcers… and even a little ACDC blaring through the speakers.

Want to book your tickets for Sports Night? Click here.

Friday

Mesmerizing traditional dances at Festara. Photo courtesy of Jon Hodgson.

Friday is Festara — a night of traditional basque dancing and music.

In Basque culture, dance is an important way for families, friends and even entire communities to bond. While some dances are more informal, where anyone can join in the circle, others are more symbolic with specific moves and songs that have a deeper meaning.

“There are songs for warding off spirits, ones for meeting with diplomats, ones for reenacting military battles…” Tony says. “Needless to say, going to an American prom after growing up learning Basque dance was…just a little awkward.”

Festara brings these ages-old traditional dances and songs to life on stage at The Morrison Center, right next to Boise State University’s campus. You’ll see Boise’s Oinkara Basque Dancers (and even other famous Basque dancers from across the world) leaping and spinning across the stage in traditional attire.

All the while, you’ll hear the same music that Basque bands have been playing for generations, full of traditional pipes, accordions, drums and more.

“Think of it as a crash course in all the amazing dance and music you’ll see over the weekend,” Julie says.

Saturday

A traditional Basque dance filled with symbolic movements, classic attire and breathtaking moments. Photo courtesy of Jon Hodgson.

In 1987, Jaialdi started as a one-off festival that coincided with a celebration of the Basque’s patron saint, San Ignacio of Loyola. But after attracting 30,000 people to the event, former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus asked if the celebration could be continued in 1990 for the state’s centennial celebration…and the rest is history.

On Saturday night, Jaialdi-goers honor the origin of the festival with a traditional mass at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Downtown Boise. Underneath the vaulted ceilings, Basque dancers perform a liturgical dance while melodies written hundreds of years ago echo throughout the cathedral.

It’s a sacred moment. Ceremonies like these serve as a reminder — not only of the life Basques left behind in Euskadi, but in the new one they found in Idaho.