10 Best Festivals in Biarritz

Roxy Pro Biarritz is a surfing competition where the best women surfers compete on the Basque Coast showing off incredible skill and athleticism. You can see champions from all over the world take on the waves and demonstrate breathtaking feats that you may have never even seen before.

During the festival, you'll also find surf culture in general celebrated with art exhibitions and workshops you can explore. Shopping and fashion also have a presence at the festival, so you can find something to take home too. It's located throughout the city, usually in early July.

Fêtes de Bayonne is a thrilling and massive festival where you'll find street performances, live music and everything else that comes with a feria. During the 5-day festival, you'll find music and street performances that consist of traditional dances, plenty of fireworks and large-scale parades.

You'll notice most people wearing white with a red scarf and belt, and you're encouraged to dress the same to show that you're taking part in the festivities and respecting the celebration. It takes place in Bayonne on the east side of the area away from the coast.

Les Scènes estivales is a series of concerts held during the summer that cover a wide variety of genres and are entirely free to attend. Some of the genres you'll be able to enjoy include jazz, salsa, Basque dance and pop rock.

This festival tends to run from July to September with concerts being held once every week. Additional activities and events are regularly offered, along with vendors selling crafts and fresh food. You'll find it held on the South Parvis of the Grande Plage.

The Bayonne Chocolate Festival (Journées du chocolat à Bayonne) is a festival known as the Chocolate Days where the best chocolatiers show off their work. For 3 days, this festival lets you sample and taste a wide variety of chocolates from famous shops.

Gourmet workshops are also available that let you learn a bit about the process of making chocolate with fun demonstrations that are perfect for kids. This festival is held on the east side of town throughout Bayonne, so it's opposite the shore.

The International Surf Movie Festival is a thrilling festival where you can see a variety of movie screenings held right on the beach. The movies are typically quite varied with several different genres on display as well as filmmakers from all over the world, though they all center around surfing.

This festival is open to the public and is entirely free, so it's a great place to go even when traveling on a budget. It's held in July and takes place over several days across 3 different projection sites. It's held on the beach in Anglet north of Biarritz.

Fête de la Musique is a music festival where you can see a diverse array of both professionals and amateurs put on unforgettable live performances. This event has spread throughout the world, though it originated in France with Biarritz's festival being one of the most prominent.

The diversity of music on display is one of the most alluring aspects of this festival. Stages are set up throughout town turning building rooftops and even wide sidewalks into stages while closing down some streets to vehicular traffic. See it for yourself throughout town on the summer solstice.

The Ham fair in Bayonne (Foire au jambon à Bayonne) is a 4-day-long festival that celebrates ham, a specialty of the region, with tastings and a competition. The competition here is especially sacred, with judges and farmers taking it very seriously and the winner being named the official best ham farmer.

When you visit this festival, you'll be able to enjoy tastings with just about every kind of ham you can imagine on offer. Some are even cured for up to 21 months. Pork lovers from all over the world flock to Bayonne for this festival every April.

Les Casetas is an old-fashioned food festival in the sense that the focus is simply on good food produced by the local community. Several bars, restaurants and other producers set up a line of tents near the coast, offering hungry visitors a taste of some local classics.

This festival is a great way to explore the local cuisine of Biarritz with a variety of local favorites located in a single place. Plus, the backdrop of the beach adds a sense of atmosphere to the experience as well. It's held near the end of June every year along the Côte des Basques beachfront.

Biarritz en Lumière is a light festival held around the Christmas season in which certain parts of the city are adorned with lights. Around the Public Garden, you can see a dozen trees lit up with lights that feature unfurling sparkling flowers. The footbridges are fully lit up as well in a dazzling display.

The impressive architecture of the Municipal Casino and the Town Hall is decorated with shining lights with ever-changing color variations that you won't want to miss out on. Of course, access is free because it's just a matter of walking down the street. The festival is held from the end of November to mid-January every year.

Biarritz Jai Alai Cesta Punta is a jai alai tournament where you can see some of the best battle it out in this fast-paced sport. This Basque Country favorite involves slinging balls out of a wicker cesta at speeds higher than any other court game, with service speeds as high as 188 mph being recorded.

The games at this event are thrilling, as the sound of the pilota slamming against the wall echoes through the entire room. It's all held about a mile from the shore just off the D260.