Herri Urrats is a festival that takes place in the Northern Basque Country in France every second Sunday of May. The festival is organized in order to honor the Basque language as those students who wish to be taught in Basque must attend a special school. There are not that many Basque cultural celebrations in France, and Herri Urrats in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle along with Fêtes de Bayonne, well, in Bayonne are some of the largest festivals of their kind in France.
The first festival took place in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle more than 30 years ago. Nowadays, this town can be proud of one of the largest Herri Urrats celebrations. The festival is based on people walking around the Saint-Pée lake, enjoying local food and engaging in different kinds of entertainment.
In recent years, the festival’s attendance reached about 70,000 people. As a result, people were able to collect money and provide financial support to Basque schools in the region. If you want to make your own contribution to the preservation of the unique Basque culture, this festival will be your best shot.
