Aste Nagusia in Bilbo

This note appeared at EITb:

Life

Great Week of Bilbao

Still eight days more of Fiestas in Bilbao

08/19/2007

For Sunday there are also all kinds of activities scheduled, such as music alive, street theatre, games for kids, bullfightings and fireworks.

On Sunday, the second day of the Great Week of Bilbao, there are scheduled many different activities so that people of all ages can enjoy the day.

In the morning children will be able to play and run with the giants and large head figures in Moyua Park, and in the Ripa dock there will also be activities for children and teenagers. Apart from that there will be "Bilbainada" songs in the Pergola and the Old part of the city.

Furthermore, there are programmed many other activities for people of all ages such as, music alive bertsolaris (people singing Basque poems), street theatre and Basque dances.

On the other hand, in the evening the second bullfighting in scheduled with bulls of La Quintana, and fought by José Padilla, Antonio Barrera y Salvador Cortés.

Fireworks will be launched by the Asturian pyrotechnic Pablo, beginning at 10:30 p.m.

Great Week kicked off Saturday

August 18, 7:00pm, Arriaga Square. That's the note many citizens of Bilbao and party lovers have in their diary. This Saturday one of the most important appointments of the year started in Bilbao: the Great Week.

The countdown is running. Although the celebrations started at 7:00pm, a parade was set out from Begoña at 4:30pm to the Arriaga Square, where groups shared "water of Bilbao" (champagne) among those gathered there.

This year the musician Kepa Junkera started the nine days of celebration and fun, as he read the opening speech. His companion at the balcony was Larraitz Cisneros of the group Altxa Porrue as she launched the firecracker rocket.

The Great Week will officially start then. And Marijaia will open the open-air bars (txosnas) at 8:00pm.

From that moment to August 26 hundreds of events will fill the streets; over 90 concerts, among them Miguel Bose, Los Inconcientes, The Poques, Baron Rojo, Alex Ubago and Dover. Furthermore, the usual theatre shows and fireworks. The little will have their spot at the Ripa dock while well-known bullfighters will fight at the Vista Alegre ring.

~ ~ ~