After several years of rest, this will be the fourth edition to be held without interruption. This is an initiative that comes from a long way, but will take place during the weekend: In the city of Lapurdi, cider day is a festival of great tradition. So much so that the organizer, Jesús Arzallus, has already lost his account: “I guess this year will be about the twentieth edition,” he explained.

Flavors of Euskal Herria

Cider days are common in many villages, but Hendaia’s has a peculiarity: Sidrerías from all over the Basque Country are invited. “We will bring twelve sidrerías: From Lapurdi there will be five, one by Araba, Bizkaia and Navarra, and four by Gipuzkoa,” explains the organizer. In any case, it is intended to give a special prominence to the cider of Ipar Euskal Herria. And it's that Arzallus realizes that, unexpectedly, they took a pretty surprise. “When we started with this initiative, we found more tailors here than we thought.” Some of them work as quarries, but many others make cider for home.

Popular and cultural festival

The organization of Sidra Day in Hendaya is the Baleak Kultur Elkartea Association, but many groups of the region are also involved. Groups in favour of the prisoners of Hendaia, LAB Sindikatua, Antxeta Irratia, Biriatu Ikastola or Hendaia, among others, offer pintxos in the area of each sidreria. “We pay the expenses by selling cups and the associations raise the money with pintxos.”

There will be trikitilaris, txalaparta and bertsolaris to accompany the cider and pintxos throughout the afternoon of 8 June. So, on the weekend in the Hendaia initiative there will be a lot to eat, drink and listen. As Arzallus says, the most beautiful thing of the day is that it is a popular and cultural festival organized in collaboration.