The Jaialdi Festival is coming!

July 29–August 3, 2025

Boise, Idaho

The first Jaialdi was celebrated in 1987 at the historic Idaho State Penitentiary and was intended to celebrate the old and new, local and international aspects of Basque culture. More than 30,000 enthusiastic participants arrived and were treated to a parade, symposium, Mass, street dance, sports exhibitions, cultural performances, souvenir booths and food and drink. The festival is held every five years, and is the largest Basque festival in the United States by far, and is larger than most Basque festivals in the world.

Find the University of Nevada Press at the Jaialdi Festival!

More information to come.

Jaialdi: A Celebration of Basque Culture

Nancy Zubiri, Photographs by Jon C. Hodgson

The Basque diaspora to the United States began in the late 1800s when these determined immigrants came seeking a new life filled with opportunities. Many were sheepherders who adapted to American life while maintaining their ties to the traditions of the Basque Country. Jaialdi: A Celebration of Basque Culture illuminates how this festival honors these traditions and captures the essence of the ancient Basque people, who are preserving their heritage while embracing life in the twenty-first-century West.

First held in 1987, Jaialdi is the United States’s largest Basque festival and takes place in Boise every five years. Through vivid photography and a recounting of personal interviews with event founders and organizers, Jaialdi: A Celebration of Basque Culture provides a stunning account of how the ancient traditions of these industrious people are showcased through the activities and events of Jaialdi.

Organized and staffed entirely by volunteers, Jaialdi attracts 35,000 to 50,000 visitors from around the world. Attendees enjoy festivities featuring Basque culture, including dancing, music, food, and competitive feats of strength. Photographer Jon C. Hodgson captures the spirit and merriment of the festival in vivid detail, taking readers on a journey into the heart of Basque culture. Coupled with author Nancy Zubiri’s observations from her own attendance at nearly every Jaialdi since 1987, the book reveals how Boise’s Basque community has committed to host the festival and why the celebration remains so popular today.

Purchase Jaialdi here!