The Feria de Santo Tomás takes place on Monday 21 December 2026 in San Sebastián. The 2026 programme is not yet published: the 2025 edition had 163 stalls, free entry and hours from 10:00 to 20:00, used here as a reference. The signature dish is still talo con txistorra.
Checked on against the official sources cited (Turismo Euskadi, San Sebastián Turismoa, 2025 programme published as a PDF).
Every 21 December, the old town of Donostia turns into a large rural market. Cured meats, cheeses, honey, cider and crafts fill the squares, while contests for txistorra sausage, pelota and log chopping set the rhythm of the day. This article sets out what is confirmed for 2026, what belongs to the 2025 edition (the most recent reference), and what other guides get wrong.
1. Date and times: what is confirmed for 2026
Monday 21 December 2026, a single day
The festival is held every year on 21 December in Donostia-San Sebastián, for one day only. The official calendar published by Turismo Euskadi groups 21 and 22 December together for several Basque towns; for Donostia, the 21st is the date that counts. 21 December 2026 falls on a Monday.
The 2026 programme had not been published at the verification date, 23 October 2026. The latest official hours are those of the 2025 edition: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, free entry, according to the San Sebastián Turismoa agenda. Some third-party listings show 11:00 am to 11:00 pm: no organiser confirms that range, so do not use it to plan your day.
The Viator product shown below has a 21 December slot at 12:30 pm (availability checked on 23 October 2026). It is not part of the festival: it is a way to have lunch in the same neighbourhood, at the same time.
2. The programme: what happens on 21 December (2025 reference edition)
The 2025 programme, published as a PDF, sets out where each activity takes place. It stays the reference until the organiser publishes the 2026 one. The stalls spread across eight squares and streets in the historic centre; the sporting events take place on Plaza de la Trinidad, and the animal show on Plaza Okendo.
| Time | Location | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 am to 4:00 pm | Plaza Berria | Fruit and vegetable contest (Jose Salaberria Memorial) |
| 10:00 am to 6:00 pm | Plaza Okendo | Animal show |
| 10:00 am to 8:00 pm | Berria, Sarriegi, San Juan, Bretxa, Bulebar, Okendo, Gipuzkoa, Txurruka | Sales: txistorra, talo, bread, cheese, chorizo, honey, cider, crafts |
| All day | Plaza Bretxa and Plaza Zuloaga | Honey contest and scarecrow contest |
| 11:00 am to 1:30 pm | Plaza Gipuzkoa, in front of the Diputación | 29th Basque Country Txistorra Contest |
| 11:30 am | Plaza de la Trinidad | Women’s pelota championship |
| 12:30 pm | Plaza de la Trinidad | Women’s gold cup for aizkolari (log chopping) |
| 6:30 pm | Departure from Plaza Sarriegi | Parade with the Joselontxos brass band |
Source: 2025 festival programme (PDF), checked 23 October 2026.
The morning contests set the rhythm of the festival. The txistorra is judged twice: the Basque Country contest on Plaza Gipuzkoa, and a gastronomic txistorra contest on Elkano street at 11:00 am. The pelota and aizkolari events in the 2025 programme are women’s competitions and take place on Plaza de la Trinidad.
3. What to eat: talo, txistorra and local produce
Talo con txistorra, the dish of the day
Talo is a cornmeal flatbread cooked on a griddle. Txistorra is a fresh pork sausage seasoned with paprika, garlic and salt. Together they make up the dish most associated with the festival, according to the tourist office, which notes that talo was the everyday food of farmers, who had less access to wheat. The stalls sell it all day, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm in 2025.
- Talo con txistorra: the signature dish, eaten standing up near the stalls
- Basque cider (sagardoa): served during the festival according to the 2025 programme
- Cheese, honey, chorizo and bread: products sold on the stalls in 2025
The pintxos of the old town are not part of the festival.
For a guided route through the old town’s bars, our selection of San Sebastián pintxo tours to book in 2026 lists the options available.
Cider and txakoli, the sparkling white wine of the Basque Country, go well with pintxos. No glass prices were checked for Donostia in 2025: the drinks budget has to be estimated on the spot.
4. The pig, the animal show and the controversy
A pig on display, with a new name every year
In 2025 the pig on display was called Poxpolin. It was a Duroc raised outdoors, expected to weigh between 370 and 380 kg on the day of the festival. It was on show at Plaza Berria, according to the 2025 programme, and not at Plaza Okendo, which hosted the animal show from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
The pig changes every year: Kaxilda was the star in 2024, Poxpolin in 2025. The name and location for the 2026 edition were not known at the verification date. A page that cites an old pig’s name is out of date.
An El Salto article dated 16 May 2018 reports a €7,200 fine imposed on twelve activists for a peaceful protest, under the public security law known as the « Ley Mordaza ». Nothing in that source links the fine to the festival, and the article does not allow the protest to be dated with certainty. It should not be read as a 2025 mobilisation: no action of this kind was found for the 2025 or 2026 editions.
5. Getting to San Sebastián on 21 December
Train from Hendaye, bus from Biarritz
The festival takes place in the heart of the old town. From France, there are two options: the Euskotren E2 line, with a connection at Hendaye to the French TER, or a bus from Biarritz. The 2026 fares have not been checked: Euskotren publishes an official fare grid, but we do not reproduce it here until it has been re-read.
| Route | Mode | Journey time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendaye to Donostia-Amara | Euskotren, line E2 | About 37 minutes | Undated journey guide, to be confirmed |
| Biarritz to Donostia | Bus (Alsa, FlixBus, Conda) | About 40 minutes | Journey time given by the operators, undated |
| Within central Donostia | Dbus city bus, tickets in the app | Not quantified | 2026 fares not checked, see dbus.eus |
| By car | Private vehicle | Not quantified | No 2026 traffic data found |
Sources: EveryRail, Euskotren, Movelia, Donostia-Biarritz bus, checked 23 October 2026.
The historic centre is pedestrian, which makes it easy to move between the squares. Car traffic around the centre has not been documented for 2026: if you come by car, look for a car park on the outskirts and plan to walk.
If you extend your stay into the Basque interior, our 7-day Basque Country itinerary combines surfing, pintxos and villages.
6. Weather, budget and advice by traveller type
Entry to the festival is free. The real budget therefore goes on food, drinks and the paid activities you choose. Stall prices are not published in any source we checked, so we do not give figures. The only verified price in this article is the pintxo tour mentioned above, at €155 per person for two adults.
| Benchmark | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 21 December 2025 | Persistent rain and northerly wind, festival held as planned | Finding from the organiser’s official report |
| December, ten-year average (model) | Minimum around 8 °C, maximum around 14 °C, rain on 49% of days | Statistical model, not official |
| Official 1991-2020 normals | Not recorded | Not verified |
Sources: official report on the 2025 day (Donostia Kultura), checked 23 October 2026; BestDateWeather, checked 23 October 2026.
The 2025 report mentions « a lot of people » at the busiest hours, with no figure. No official attendance figure was found for Donostia: if an article quotes a number of visitors, it does not come from an official report.
The festival falls on a Monday, so book your accommodation early, searching directly on the websites of the accommodation providers. This article does not publish any hotel prices, as no verified rate was found.
| Profile | What matters | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Family with children | Animals, contests and the 6:30 pm brass band | Follow the animal programme at Okendo and the band leaving from Sarriegi, then the txistorra contest at 11:00 am. |
| Couple | Pintxos, cider and street atmosphere | Book a pintxo lunch, then wander between the stalls in the afternoon. |
| Tight budget | Free entry and stalls | Keep the festival for the day, add the Christmas market in the evening, and pay in cash. |
| First visit | Key moments of the day | Start at Plaza Berria and Plaza Okendo, then the Trinidad events at 11:30 am and 12:30 pm. |
| Reduced mobility | Access to the squares | The centre is pedestrian. No accessibility information specific to the festival has been verified. |
Source: 2025 festival programme (PDF), San Sebastián Turismoa agenda, checked 23 October 2026.
7. Arrasate, Christmas market: do not mix up the dates
The 21 December date applies only to Donostia. In Arrasate-Mondragón, the Santamasak takes place on 22 December 2026, with the pig presented at 10:00 am. Aggregators that write « 21 and 22 December in San Sebastián » merge two separate festivals. If your stay includes both, book them separately.
Donostia’s Christmas market runs much longer: from 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, free of charge, with hours from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm, on the Paseo del Urumea and Plaza Ramón Labayen. It does not replace the festival, it extends it: you can spend the evening of 21 December there.
For other events in the city, our guide to the San Sebastián International Film Festival 2026 covers films and pintxos.
Sources: Festivales de España, Santamasak, and San Sebastián Turismoa agenda for the 2026-2027 Christmas market, checked 23 October 2026.
What other guides don’t tell you
Several guides repeat the same information, sometimes wrongly. Here are the points checked against the sources cited.
- The 2025 pig was on show at Plaza Berria, and the animal show was held at Plaza Okendo. The 2025 programme separates the two sites, which guides often confuse under « the pig on display ». 2025 programme published as a PDF (checked 23 October 2026).
- The official 2025 hours are 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, not 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. The tourist office agenda gives the first; a third-party listing shows the second without a source. San Sebastián Turismoa agenda (checked 23 October 2026).
- The pig changes every year. Kaxilda was presented in 2024, Poxpolin in 2025; a page that names an old pig is out of date. Orain, 13 December 2024 (checked 23 October 2026).
- Donostia celebrates on 21 December, Arrasate on 22. The Turismo Euskadi « 21-22 December » listing groups several towns; Arrasate’s Santamasak presents its pig on the 22nd at 10:00 am. Festivales de España (checked 23 October 2026).
- No official attendance figure was found for Donostia. The organiser’s 2025 report says « a lot of people » with no number: an article announcing a total of visitors relies on no official source. Donostia Kultura 2025 report (checked 23 October 2026).
Practical information for 21 December 2026
- Emergencies: the emergency number in Spain is 112, according to GOV.UK travel advice for Spain (checked 23 October 2026).
- City bus: Dbus tickets (30 minutes, 24 hours, 48 hours) are bought as QR codes in the Dbus app. The 2026 fares have not been checked: see dbus.eus before your journey.
- Payment: not all stalls take card. Bring cash, as Descubre Donostia recommends (checked 23 October 2026).
- Personal belongings: do not leave your bag unattended in the crowd. This is general caution: no crime statistics linked to the festival were found.
Frequently asked questions about the Feria de Santo Tomás
Is the Feria de Santo Tomás 2026 held on 21 December?
Yes, in San Sebastián (Donostia), the festival is held on 21 December, which is Monday 21 December 2026. The 22 December event is a different festival, in Arrasate-Mondragón (Santamasak). Turismo Euskadi publishes one listing for the 21 to 22 December period, which groups several Basque towns. The 2026 programme had not been published at the verification date.
What are the festival hours?
The latest official hours are those of the 2025 edition: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, according to the San Sebastián Turismoa agenda. The 2026 hours have not yet been published. A third-party listing shows 11:00 am to 11:00 pm: no organiser confirms that range, so do not use it to plan your day.
Is the Feria de Santo Tomás free?
Yes. Entry is free for the stalls, animations and contests, according to the official agenda for the 2025 edition. Your spending therefore goes on food, drinks and any paid activities you choose. Bring cash: not all stalls accept cards.
What should I eat at the Feria de Santo Tomás?
The signature dish is talo con txistorra: a cornmeal flatbread cooked on a griddle, served with a pork sausage seasoned with paprika, garlic and salt. The stalls also sell cheese, honey, chorizo, bread and cider (sagardoa), according to the 2025 programme. The pintxos of the old town are not part of the festival.
Is there a pig on display, and where?
In 2025 the Duroc pig, Poxpolin, expected to weigh 370 to 380 kg, was on show at Plaza Berria according to the 2025 programme published as a PDF. The pig changes every year: the 2026 name and location were not known at the verification date. An animal show was also held at Plaza Okendo, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm in 2025.
How do I get there from Hendaye or Biarritz?
From Hendaye, the Euskotren E2 line reaches Donostia in about 37 minutes according to an undated journey guide, with a connection to the French TER. From Biarritz, Alsa, FlixBus and Conda buses run, advertised at about 40 minutes. The 2026 fares have not been checked: consult the operators’ websites before booking.
What is the weather like in late December in San Sebastián?
The official report on the 2025 edition describes a day of persistent rain and northerly wind, with the festival held anyway. Official climate normals were not recorded. An unofficial statistical model gives minimums around 8 °C and maximums around 14 °C: pack a waterproof.
Can I combine the festival with the Christmas market?
Yes. Donostia’s Christmas market runs from 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, free of charge, from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm, on the Paseo del Urumea and Plaza Ramón Labayen. On 21 December you can combine the two, checking the festival hours, which have not been published yet.
Sources
- Turismo Euskadi, Feria de Santo Tomás listing: 2026 date, 21 to 22 December period
- San Sebastián Turismoa, Feria de Santo Tomás listing: hours and free entry for the 2025 edition
- San Sebastián Turismoa, « Día de Santo Tomás »: agricultural origin, talo and txistorra
- 2025 festival programme, published as a PDF: locations, hours and activities
- Official report on the 2025 day (Donostia Kultura, PDF): weather and atmosphere
- San Sebastián Turismoa, 2026-2027 Christmas market: dates, hours and locations
- Festivales de España, Santamasak of Arrasate: separate festival on 22 December 2026
- Orain, article of 20 December 2025: number of stalls and weight of the 2025 pig
- El Salto, article of 21 December 2017: action against the sow on display
- El Salto, article of 16 May 2018: €7,200 fine for a peaceful protest, with no link established to the festival
- EveryRail, Euskotren: line E2 and connection at Hendaye (third party)
- GOV.UK, travel advice for Spain: emergency number 112
- Descubre Donostia, Santo Tomas Fair: payment in cash
Research carried out on 23 October 2026.
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