Plans for spending Holy Week in Tolosa

Tolosa Aste Santua Semana Santa

Gastronomy, culture and historical heritage transformed into fun plans for spending time with your family or friends: lots of events beginning on Saturday 13 April. There are many reasons for coming to discover Tolosa from within: to spend a day, spend the weekend, holidays... or even two weeks if you are lucky enough!

What better way to kick-start the holidays than with a party? This Saturday 13 April, the White Wine party (Ardo Txuri Txokoa) will be one of (but not the only) star events in Tolosa. Organized by the gastronomic society Gure Txokoa, the Plaza Triángulo will host the fair where it will be possible to taste white wines from different origins: Navarre, La Rioja, Galicia, Getaria... In total, there are 11 wineries taking part.

As tradition dictates, the drinks will be accompanied by tapas prepared by different restaurants in Tolosa. A glass will cost 5 Euros with the chance to sample all the wines you want, and the tapas will cost 1 Euro.

The second star event of the first Saturday of Holy Week is linked to traditional Basque dancing, known as euskal dantza. Udaberri Dantza Taldea has invited more than 300 dantzaris (Basque dancers) from all over the Basque Country to gather in the streets of Tolosa and thus share their different dances or plaza-dantzas, to celebrate the Dantzari Txiki Eguna.

Adults will also get the chance to display their dancing skills at the Erromeria which will take place in the Tinglado Market. It is a good way to forget about embarrassment and learn the traditional Basque dances: surely you have tried to dance the fandango or arin-arin at some point!

The second Saturday of Holy Week (20 April), offers the chance to discover one of the gastronomic secrets of Tolosa: it is possible to sample snails in sauce on Snail Day. The day will begin with a snail races including an awards ceremony, and will continue with a tasting. The bars and restaurants of Tolosa will also offer snails alongside their traditional tapas. A lovely family plan, if you are not in a hurry.

Also, you will be able to discover the secrets of the sauce that the snails of Tolosa are served in, by directly asking those who prepare it. For the moment, we will reveal one: they commit to local produce, purchasing it directly at the traditional market of Tolosa. Visit the local producers and learn what really matters.

Guided visits around Tolosa:

In addition to the outstanding events at the weekends, the chance to visit Tolosa becomes even more special during these festive days: 3 different guide visits will be given enabling you to really get to know the traditional market and the Old Quarter of Tolosa, the Parish of Santa María and the Topic museum (the latter are staged visits).

All of these visits are provided in different languages. We recommend consulting the timetable and language, choosing the one that best suits each person, and booking it. All the practical information is shown below:

Complete program - Holy Week (Tolosa)

13 April, Saturday:

09:00-14:00. Usual market at the Tinglado, Plaza Cristales and Plaza Euskal Herria.

10:00-13:00. Guided visit around Tolosa market (timetables and languages below)

11:30-14:00. III. Gure Ardo Txuri Txokoa - White Wine Day (Triángulo Plaza)

11:30. XIV. Dantzari Txiki eguna (Basque dancing day) organized by Udaberri Dantza Taldea.

12:00-19:00. Guided visits around the Old Quarter of Tolosa and the Parish of Santa María (timetables and languages below)

19:00. Start of the Erromeria. Kalejira from Plaza Zaharra.

21:00. Erromeria. Public meal in the Tinglado.

23:00. Erromeria. Concert by the group Laiotz in the Tinglado.

18 April, Thursday:

10:00-19:00. Guided visits around the Old Quarter of Tolosa and the Parish of Santa María (timetables and languages below)

19 April, Friday:

10:00-19:00. Guided visits around the Old Quarter of Tolosa and the Parish of Santa María (timetables and languages below)

20 April, Saturday:

09:00-14:00. Usual market at the Tinglado, Plaza Cristales and Plaza Euskal Herria.

10:00. Guided visit around Tolosa market

11:00. Snail race in Plaza Tríangulo.

11:30-13:30. Dramatized guided visits for children at Topic museum (timetables and languages below).

12:00-19:00. Guided visits around the Old Quarter of Tolosa and the Parish of Santa María (timetables and languages below)

12:00. Snail tasting.

12:30. Awards ceremony for the snail race.

21 April, Thursday:

10:00-19:00. Guided visits around the Old Quarter of Tolosa and the Parish of Santa María (timetables and languages below)

11:30-13:30. Dramatized guided visits for adults at Topic museum

23-26 April:

09:30-13:00. Workshop at Topic museum: Jolastuz, bidea eraiki (Building the way through play)

Guided visits: timetables and languages

13 April, Saturday

10:00. Guided visit around Tolosa´s traditional market (Basque / Spanish)

11:00. Guided visit around Tolosa´s traditional market (Spanish / French)

12:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Spanish / English)

13:00. Guided visit to the Parish of Santa María (Basque / Spanish)

15:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Spanish / French)

16:00. Guided visit to the Parish of Santa María (Basque / Spanish)

17:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Spanish / English)

18:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Basque / Spanish)

18 April, Thursday

10:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Basque / Spanish)

11:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Spanish / French)

12:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Spanish / English)

13:00. Guided visit to the Parish of Santa María (Basque / Spanish)

15:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Basque / Spanish)

16:00. Guided visit to the Parish of Santa María (Basque / Spanish)

17:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Spanish / English)

18:00. Guided visit around the Old Quarter of Tolosa (Basque / Spanish)

19 April, Friday