The last Monday of October Fair in Gernika

If you ask someone from Gernika which day of the year they enjoy the most, they will probably answer—without even having to think about it—that it is the Last Monday of October. This day is marked in red on the school calendar, as it is considered a local holiday in Gernika. It is also common for many people who are no longer in school to take the following day off to recover after such an intense and exciting day.

It is a fair—or, as locals in Gernika would proudly call it, a true celebration—that brings together like no other Basque gastronomy, sport, tradition, and culture. That is why it comes as no surprise that the Last Monday of October has endured through the years, preserving all its charm and splendour, and welcoming thousands of visitors every year from across Euskal Herria.

It is also no coincidence that this event is held in October. Autumn is a season of rich harvests and abundance, when the land offers its best produce and the weather is still pleasant—perfectly balanced between the warmth of summer and the cold of winter.

On that day, music and voices blend with the aroma of food and different traditional drinks, creating a vibrant atmosphere full of energy.

LIVE FROM GERNIKA

Many media outlets change their usual programming on the last Monday of October in order to come to Gernika and broadcast special live morning shows related to this celebration. Stands and tents are set up right in the middle of the festivities, on the streets, to share with those who cannot be here the unique atmosphere of this enriching day.

Many journalists also walk through the town interviewing both visitors and the producers, artisans and farmers selling their goods at the market stalls. How much are the beans being sold for? What products are selling the most? What are visitors carrying in their shopping bags? Have they noticed the rise in prices? How much will the half cheese go for at the auction? Where can you find the tastiest talo? There are many questions, many answers, and plenty of humour and spontaneity among the interviewers, as the festive spirit fills the streets and people are eager to celebrate and share their opinions.

AN AGRICULTURAL FAIR, A TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL AND THE BIGGEST DAY IN GERNIKA

This agricultural fair is undoubtedly the most important one of the year: a day of great significance, where all kinds of local products are displayed by farmers and producers from across the Basque Country. The stalls are set up a few days in advance, creating anticipation and lifting the spirits of everyone who looks forward to what is about to come. Unlikely the weekly Monday market held in the square, this massive fair spreads throughout the entire town centre, making the celebration even greater.

Basque gastronomy would not make sense without the privileged geography that surrounds us, so rich in edible natural resources. That is why it is easy to understand why we are such strong defenders of high-quality ingredients, local produce, and the remarkable work of our farmers and producers. During the Last Monday of October Fair, the role of baserritarras (traditional Basque farmers) and winemakers is celebrated in a truly unique festive atmosphere, while traditional Basque products are honoured through a wide variety of exquisite delicacies.

On this day, what we truly celebrate is our culture: a land of deep-rooted traditions, distinctive folklore, and a character shaped through generations of rural life and work. It is an ideal date to keep in mind for anyone wishing to experience the essence of Basque traditions in a purely festive setting.

In 2022, after two years without being able to hold the event, and coinciding with the All Saints’ Day long weekend, the weather was excellent and an attendance record was reached, with around 125,000 people.

WHAT YOU CAN TASTE

For visitor's enjoyment, the gastronomic offer is extensive throughout the fair, both for purchase and for on-the-spot tasting. Most stalls provide small samples, constantly replenished, to showcase their products and attract potential customers. You can try cheese, bread, Basque cake, pâté, gildas, preserves, cider, txakoli wine, honey, fruits, and many other products from across Euskal Herria. In the txosnas area, the traditional treat is a talo, which can be enjoyed with chorizo, txistorra, bacon, cheese, pork loin, or even chocolate.

• The talo is a flatbread traditionally made with untreated corn flour.
• It contains only a pinch of salt and just enough water to compact the flour so that it can be shaped without being sticky or breaking apart.
• It does not include yeast, and its texture is achieved through a rustic technique that has been used in Basque farmhouses (caseríos) ever since corn arrived in the Basque Country at the end of the 16th century.
• The flatbread is cooked on griddles today, but traditionally it was prepared over embers or directly on the stove plate.

We cannot imagine the Last Monday of October in Gernika without enjoying a delicious talo accompanied by a good txakoli or a cold cider. The txosnas (festival food stalls) friendly compete for the “unofficial” title of the best talo, putting great effort into preparing a large number of them throughout the day.

WHAT TO BUY

The Last Monday of October in Gernika is a perfect day to pick up typical local products and delicacies from all over the Basque Country, thanks to the incredible variety, quality, and range on offer. All kinds of fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits are displayed at the stalls, but the Gernika bean (alubia de Gernika) is undoubtedly the star of the day. This period marks the start of the season for this unique and iconic product.

Within Basque gastronomy, beans are one of the few dishes for which people often skip the second course, as they are considered a complete meal when served with the traditional accompaniments: chorizo, blood sausage, pork ribs, and bacon. Pickled green chillies and berza (collard greens) provide the perfect vegetable balance to all the pork.

PROGRAMME OF THE DAY

On Last Monday, everyone knows when the festivities begin, but not when they will end, as there are countless activities from early in the morning until the early hours of the night… if you can keep up!. Pasacalles (street parades), bertsolaris and trikitilaris bring the streets to life throughout the day, and at night the celebration continues in the bars, in the txosnas (located in Plaza de los Fueros, Pasealeku and Ciutat de Berga Street) and in the Astra venue.

• From early in the morning, you can see how the local producers set up their stalls and fill them with local products, each one decorated in a very unique way. Red and green peppers and garlic heads are arranged to form ikurriñas (Basque flags), turning every stall into a visual spectacle where creativity knows no limits.
• Music sets the festive mood and the machinery is gradually put in place for display.
• Around 9:00 a.m., the agricultural competition begins (vegetables, fruit, produce, ornamental plants, txakoli, honey and cheese), along with an exhibition of agricultural machinery.
• Around 12:00 p.m., a performance by the bertsolaris takes place (in 2022, Andoni Egaña, Sebastian Lizaso and Onintza Enbeita performed) in front of the Mercury Fountain.
• Around 1:30 p.m., the prize-giving ceremony and auction are held in front of the Mercury Fountain. The auction of the best half cheese (for which large sums of money are bid, later donated to charitable causes) and the awarding of prizes for the best honey, txakoli, fruit and vegetables after tasting by an expert jury are probably two of the most popular moments of this October Monday.
• In the afternoon, the cesta punta matches at the Jai Alai fronton bring the day to a perfect close. In recent years, the atmosphere in the fronton has been especially lively thanks to the Winter Series tournament, which has brought together the 16 best cesta punta players in the world over four months of competition, with its start coinciding with the Last Monday of October.
  
  

People enjoy themselves in the streets, sharing laughter and pleasant moments with their loved ones; it is undoubtedly a unique day when everyone comes together to celebrate life, keeping alive customs and traditions as deeply rooted as the Tree of Gernika itself.

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