Semana Grande
- August 8, 2002
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Covadonga from Bilbao, Spain
On the third week of August, we celebrate our local festival, the Semana Grande or Aste Nagusia.
You will find something for everyone, from bullfights to rock concerts, from classical music to children´s amusements.
It is not so well-known as Sanfermines, but it is good fun, as long as you take care of yourself.
A useful website to know what´s going on during the week is :
http://www.astenagusia.info
There are different zones across the city where you can spend your nights and days. In the Arenal you will find most of the "txoznas", geared towards younger and more militant people.
I prefer Albia and Ledesma. The public is more grown-up (mid-twenties upwards), and you can take it easier.
The most popular drinks are bier and kalimotxo (mix of coke and red wine), and there are places where you can grab a pintxo, specially in the Ledesma street.
The past Aste Nagusia hasn´t been as good as other years. The weather has been bad, mostly gray and rainy.
From journal Bilbao, seen from an insider