Today, the sun has accompanied the participants of the Sopela March, who have enjoyed a broad program of four special spaces adapted to the municipality. From the first hour of the morning, after the first rays of the sun appeared, Ander Deuna and the companions of the ikastolas have always been in charge of making preparations to start the festival, work that has allowed all the predictions to be met.

The festival started at 09:15 hours at the ikastola Ander Deuna. Among the attendees were the Education Advisor of the Basque Government, Jokin Bildarratz; the Vice-Minister of Language Policy, Miren Dobaran; the Deputy Minister of Euskera and Culture of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Lorea Bilbao; the Secretary of the Council, Paul Bilbao; the Mayor of Sopela, Josu Landaluiban. The participants in the talk have agreed to point out that the recovery work of the Basque Country has difficulties and that steps are being taken backwards in many places. In view of this, they have called for collaboration and have stressed that collaboration between institutions and other actors is more necessary than ever to take firm steps in the recovery and use of the Basque Country. Finally, at the end of the event, the representatives of the ikastolas of Bilbao Ander Deuna and Betiko gave the witness of Ibilaldia to the president of the ikastola Abusu, who will be in charge of organising the festival next year.

In the midst of the pandemic, today's March has been an untraveled March, something unusual. Thus, distributed in four main areas, from 10:00 hours, the attendees were able to enjoy workshops and shows of all kinds, to which they had previously been appointed. The organizers have selected the places that allow to guarantee the health measures established to deal with the epidemic, such as the ikastola Ander Deuna, the Plaza Urgitxieta de Larrabasterra and the superior parking of the beach of Barinatxe, and have organized two types of activities: one, of direct and active participation, and another, shows, more passive and that require to be seen or heard. Each space has had its own program, adapted to different tastes and needs.

Organizers have stressed that all expectations have been met and that 1,800 people have approached the reserved area for each of them, in turns of 200 people, starting the first batch at 10:00 until 12:00 and the second at 12:30 until 14:30. In all cases there has been respect and the shifts and safety intervals have been maintained at all times. Also, at the free participation fair many people have gathered in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento de Sopela, between 10:00 and 15:00 hours, to see and buy the 11 products that have been for sale in 27 establishments. As the sellers have explained, from the first hour of the morning people have been waiting to enter and, afterwards, a multitude of people have come to curiosear and buy vegetables, crafts, preserves, cheeses, flowers and other products. The organizers have stressed that the work done earlier has been demonstrated and that there has been no problem either in any of the areas of the city. "At all times the security measures imposed have been complied with, no one complained about the conditions imposed," said the leaders of the areas.

It's not a day party.

Today, 30 May, it was the big day of the race, but, as you have announced, Ibilaldia’s activity will not end here. In fact, next week, on June 5, ESO students will take an initiative to learn about the Iron Belt. It will assess, inter alia, the cultural declaration of the time of civil war in which work has been done previously.

The organizers have stressed that, once again, the experience of organising the Ibilaldia between the two ikastolas has been very enriching. In this regard, they have stressed that in order to meet their challenges in the educational and linguistic fields, collaboration between the two centres will be essential, continuing along the same path. “That today, and the path taken in the previous months, are our small contributions of grain to live in Euskera and Basque culture, as well as to enjoy in Euskera different initiatives,” they claimed.

In the following link hiruka.eus you have a collection of images: Tour 2021: in pictures.