Olentzero 2026: 24 December in Basque Country and Navarre

Before you go: one reference night, not a shared date

The 24th of December is the traditional night, but none of the official listings we read imposes that date on every town. Two parades have a confirmed date before the 24th, in Ciboure and Anglet. The other dates for the night are pending or not published. The town-by-town detail is in sections 1 and 2.

What to know before planning the 24th

Reference night: 24 December 2026 Ciboure and Anglet confirmed Donostia, Pamplona, Bilbao: to be confirmed

If you are in Donostia-San Sebastián on the 24th and your evening does not depend on a parade, the French Basque coast can also be visited during the day. The tour below is not an activity linked to Olentzero and does not replace any parade. According to the Viator listing checked on 8 November 2026, it was open on 24 December 2026 at 9 am. The rating combines Viator and TripAdvisor reviews.

Pixidia tip: before you book a train for a specific parade, confirm the time with the town hall. The official listings we read on 8 November 2026 do not all publish a time.

Biarritz and the French Basque Coast, private tour from San Sebastián★ 4.9 · 55 reviewsPartner link €292.50 per person (based on 2 travellers), 8 hours, departs 9 am on 24 December 2026, checked on 8 November 2026 €292.50 per person(based on 2 travellers), 8 hours, departs 9 am on 24 December 2026, checked on 8 November 2026

See dates

1. 24 December 2026, the reference night

Turismo Euskadi presents the night of 24 December as the reference night, and several villages finish the evening by burning the effigy at dusk. The 2026 listings we found do not all line up with this date, though. The cards below show, for each place, what is confirmed for 2026 and what is not.

Donostia-San Sebastián: evening parade, 2026 not confirmed

2026 price not confirmed 2025 edition: 24 December Winter, rain possible 2026 date not confirmed

Donostia-San Sebastián has an official page on Olentzero and Mari Domingi. Its 2025 edition took place on 24 December 2025, from 10:30 am to 7 pm, and the official parade of 2024 set off at 6 pm from calle Ijentea. We found no official time for 2026, and the 24th is not confirmed for this city. Official page of Donostia-San Sebastián Turismoa (2025 edition, checked on 8 November 2026).

Key points

• A parade in the city centre, set off from calle Ijentea in 2024
• 2025 edition: 24 December, from 10:30 am to 7 pm
• For 2026, the tourist office is still the source to check

Pixidia tip: without a confirmed 2026 time, keep the evening of the 24th as your working assumption and ask the tourist office for the time.

Anglet and Ciboure: the parades confirmed before the 24th

Anglet: free entry 18 and 19 December 2026 Rain plan in Anglet Evening in Ciboure, morning in Anglet

These are the two most solid dates of this edition. In Ciboure, the tourist office listing, updated on 6 November 2026, gives Friday 18 December at 6 pm, with departure from the Larraldenia port towards old Ciboure. In Anglet, Saturday 19 December at 10:30 am, the procession arrives at the Pignada gymnasium, with a fallback in case of rain. Ciboure listing (JDS) and Anglet Tourisme listing.

Key points

• Ciboure: departure from the Larraldenia port at 6 pm
• Anglet: welcome at the Pignada gymnasium, rain fallback
• Two parades in the same week, before the night of the 24th

Pixidia tip: only the Anglet listing states free entry. The Ciboure listing gives no price: do not write it as free until the town hall confirms it.

Navarre: Lesaka, Pamplona and the valley villages

Lesaka: contest in the morning Lesaka: 24 December 2026 (confirmed date) Pamplona: 2026 not confirmed Morning and afternoon

Visit Navarra lists the parade on 24 December 2026 and notes that its format varies by place. In Lesaka, the village the regional listing presents as the village of origin, a contest of Olentzero figures takes place in the morning, and the afternoon parade follows with the village band. For Pamplona, the 2025 announcement from the Ayuntamiento gave a 6 pm start and an arrival at the Plaza Consistorial around 7:30 pm. An aggregator lists 5:45 pm for 2026: that time is not confirmed and differs from 2025, so we do not use it. Visit Navarra Olentzero page.

Key points

• Lesaka: contest in the morning, village band parade in the afternoon
• Pamplona: about 70,000 people according to the mayor’s estimate in 2023 (75,000 in 2019, per the press)
• Ultzama: visit of the valley villages with a donkey (aggregator, to be checked)

Pixidia tip: for Pamplona, ask the Ayuntamiento for the 2026 time before booking a train or a room. For Lesaka, the contest time is not published: the listing only gives the date and the format.

Bilbao: kalejira and reception, 2026 not confirmed

Reception: booking required in 2025 Kalejira announced for 23 December (aggregator) Three minors maximum per booking (2025) Kalejira in the late afternoon

The children’s reception on the 24th of December at the Teatro Arriaga required an online booking in 2025. A search result citing Deia reported 1,500 free passes released on Monday 22 December at 10 am, with three child entries maximum per booking. For 2026, an aggregator announces a kalejira on 23 December at 5:30 pm, from Plaza Moyúa, with free entry. We could not confirm these details on the city’s own sites, which we could not read: the 2026 arrangements are not confirmed.

Key points

• A reception designed for children, at the Arriaga theatre (2025 edition)
• A kalejira through the city centre, announced by an aggregator (not confirmed)

Pixidia tip: passes were limited in 2025. If 2026 booking opens, book as soon as it does rather than on the day.

2. The 2026 calendar, town by town

The table ranks dates by level of confidence. A date only goes in the « confirmed » column if an official listing publishes it. Event aggregators were a lead, never proof.

Source: Ciboure (JDS) and Anglet Tourisme listings, Visit Navarra, Hendaye Tourisme, checked on 8 November 2026. Rows marked « aggregator » come from event aggregators and remain unconfirmed.

For a week-long trip, this changes the itinerary. Ciboure and Anglet fall on 18 and 19 December, before the night of the 24th. For a parade on the 24th with an official date, Lesaka is the only confirmed lead, with an afternoon parade whose time is not published. Donostia, Pamplona and Bilbao still need to be confirmed with the town halls.

3. Where does Olentzero come from? A disputed origin

The question has no settled answer. Two readings compete, and no official source decides between them. Lesaka is the answer most often cited. Visit Navarra’s listing presents the village as the village of origin, and a local researcher, Eneterreaga, defends this thesis in a volume published by Eusko Ikaskuntza in 2006. A quote picked up by the Navarrese press in November 2024 attributes the same origin to a study by National Geographic; we could not read the original page, so this information is second-hand.

The Basque ethnography foundation Labayru writes instead that the ritual was born in Gipuzkoa, around Zarautz, and that the figure moved into the Navarrese mountains. The same text, signed by Iñaki Kalzakorta, describes the tradition as « relatively modern » and places the strongest legend in Lesaka. Both positions therefore coexist, and the second is by far the more cautious.

Source: Labayru, Visit Navarra, Argiko Azia, checked on 8 November 2026.

Mari Domingi, Olentzero’s partner, is an even more recent figure. Turismo Euskadi says she was born from a Christmas song collected by Resurrección María de Azkue. The ethnographer Emilio Xabier Dueñas, quoted by the Navarrese press, considers her an innovation of the last few decades. In this article we present her as a relatively recent tradition, without giving her an age that no source demonstrates.

4. One night, different customs from village to village

Charcoal is part of Olentzero’s image, but its use is poorly documented. Argiko Azia writes that his soot-blackened face could frighten children who lied, misbehaved or refused to go to bed. A search result describes instead gifts for well-behaved children and charcoal for the others. No official source settles between these readings: do not present them as a rule.

Fire comes up often. Turismo Euskadi writes that at dusk the effigy is set alight, a common gesture without being universal. The forms also change from one place to another: in Ultzama, the village visit is made with a donkey, according to an aggregator.

Animals raise questions too. In Pamplona in 2025, the parade went ahead without geese or hens because of avian flu, and rabbits were added, according to a search result citing the media outlet Ondavasca. For 2026, no information is confirmed. Check with the town hall if the presence of animals matters to your choice.

5. Budget: what a night of Olentzero costs

Few official sources put a price on the parades, and none confirms general free entry for 2026. Anglet is the only parade whose official listing confirms free entry for 2026. For the others, free entry comes from aggregators or from the 2025 edition and remains to be checked. In Bilbao, the children’s reception was free on booking in 2025, according to a search result citing Deia. For most evenings, the main costs will be transport, parking and food.

A day on the French Basque coast on the 24th is a separate expense, unrelated to the parades. It is priced at €292.50 per person for two travellers, departing at 9 am (see the « Before you go » section). To compare other outing ideas in San Sebastián, our guide to pintxos tours in San Sebastián covers the options.

We found no 2026 fares for regional trains, night buses or accommodation around the 24th. To estimate your budget, add the journey, one night on site and a meal, and compare prices when you book. An estimate built on unverified costs would be misleading.

6. Depending on your travel style

• With family. Anglet offers free entry and a gymnasium fallback in case of rain. In Bilbao, the children’s reception required booking in 2025, and the 2026 arrangements are not confirmed. The 2025 passes were limited to three minors per booking. Plan on one town for the 24th to avoid night-time journeys.
• As a couple. For an evening of the 24th, Lesaka has a confirmed date, but its parade takes place in the afternoon. To extend your stay, our 7-day Basque Country itinerary combines surf, pintxos and villages.
• On a small budget. Anglet is the only place whose official listing confirms free entry for 2026. Lesaka showed it for 2025 only. The rest depends mostly on transport, and that is where you will make the biggest savings.
• First time. Pick one place, ideally one whose date and time are confirmed, and do not count on one night to cover several towns.
• Reduced mobility. We found no information on accessible routes for the parades in Bilbao, Pamplona or Donostia. Ask the town hall before you travel, and do not assume a route is passable.

If you are combining the night of the 24th with another end-of-year trip, our guide to the best Christmas markets in Europe 2026 compares cities by dates, access and budget.

7. What the official pages we read say

The points below come from official pages or tourist offices that we opened on 8 November 2026. We read no competing guide for this article, so we do not describe what guides say in general.

• Ciboure and Anglet have their own dates. The Ciboure listing (updated 6 November 2026) gives Friday 18 December at 6 pm, and the Anglet Tourisme listing gives Saturday 19 December at 10:30 am. Ciboure listing (JDS), checked on 8 November 2026.
• Anglet states free entry and a rain plan. The Anglet Tourisme listing gives free entry to the 19 December parade and a welcome at the Pignada gymnasium, with a fallback in case of rain. Anglet Tourisme, checked on 8 November 2026.
• Lesaka’s contest takes place in the morning. The Visit Navarra listing describes a figure contest in the morning, then the afternoon parade with the band, with no time published. Visit Navarra, checked on 8 November 2026.
• Lesaka is not an established origin. Labayru places the birth of the ritual in Gipuzkoa, around Zarautz, and calls the tradition « relatively modern ». Labayru, « On the figure of Olentzero », checked on 8 November 2026.
• Mari Domingi is presented as recent. Turismo Euskadi, blog on the origin says she was born from a Christmas song collected by Azkue; checked on 8 November 2026. The ethnographer Dueñas, quoted by the press, sees her as an innovation of the last few decades (search result, not opened).