St. James´s Day - arabaturismo

Every 25 July, Vitoria-Gasteiz celebrates Blusa and Neska Day. It is the precursor to the city’s festival days in honour of Virgen Blanca, when the city’s streets are inundated with revellers in early August. The tradition on St James’s Day is to don your traditional Basque garb (Blusa or Neska) and head out to buy a string of garlic.

This day is especially important for Blusa and Neska crews which gather to participate in a barrel race, herri kirolak (Basque rural sports) competitions, and a wide range of activities they hold over the course of the day. The most highly anticipated part of the day is the kalejira. The crews keep the tradition of taking a stroll along the path that bulls ran years ago with the first crews. Today, however, there is no running of the bulls and the main goal is to simply have a good time.

In addition to the activities organised by the local crews, the St James’s Day agenda is full of all kinds of events: the garlic fair located between Portal del Rey and calle San Francisco, the St James Agriculture and Cattle Fair, amateur bullfights, pintxos for charity, a concert, and of course great ambiance throughout the city. It's a day in which thousands of people from Álava come to the capital city to enjoy a festive ambiance.