Culture & festivals
Basque Country Bertsolari Championship 2026
The big championship of improvised verse sung in Basque tours all seven provinces from September to December 2026. Final on 20 December in Pamplona.
- Dates
- Location
- Seven provinces · final in Pamplona (Iruñea) · Navarre
- Price
- Tickets on bertsosarrerak.eus
Basque verse improvisation (bertsolaritza) is the art of improvising sung verse in Basque, on a set theme and to a given melody, while keeping to the rhyme. Championships have been held since the early 20th century, and schools for bertsolaris (verse improvisers) appeared at the end of that same century. 2026 sees the Euskal Herriko Bertsolari Txapelketa, the championship that brings together the best improvisers from across the Basque Country — Euskal Herria, on both sides of the Franco-Spanish border. It is held over several rounds, from September to December.
First stage (Saturdays and Sundays, 17:00)
| Date | Venue |
|---|---|
| 19 September | Hasparren (Hazparne) |
| 26 September | Alsasua (Altsasu) |
| 27 September | Lekeitio |
| 3 October | Saint-Palais (Donapaleu) |
| 4 October | Tolosa |
| 10 October | Gotein-Libarrenx (Gotaine-Irabarne) |
| 11 October | Salvatierra (Agurain) |
Semi-finals (Saturdays, 17:00)
| Date | Venue |
|---|---|
| 24 October | Larraun-Lekunberri |
| 31 October | Eibar |
| 7 November | Guernica (Gernika-Lumo) |
| 14 November | Biarritz (Miarritze) |
| 21 November | San Sebastián (Donostia) |
| 28 November | Vitoria-Gasteiz |
| 5 December | Bilbao (Bilbo) |
The final
Sunday 20 December 2026 at 11:00, in Pamplona (Iruñea).
How to attend
Tickets are sold online at bertsosarrerak.eus, where sales opened on 17 June. The sessions are held entirely in Basque. Even if you don’t understand the language, the atmosphere of a hall hanging on every improvised verse is well worth the trip.
Sources
Dates and times can change: always check the official website before you travel.