Hendaye: a fiery cavalcade concluded the Basque Festival in style

On Sunday, August 10, Hendaye celebrated its last day of celebrations with the Basque Festival. In the afternoon, floats paraded under a blazing sun for the traditional cavalcade.

On Sunday morning, the Hendaye partygoers swapped the previous day's Hiri Besta blue and white for traditional Basque outfits. The Gaztelu Zahar fronton, bathed in light, hosted the rebot pelota game. Among the players was a young face, Allende, 19, a local boy. "We were missing a goal scorer, so they offered me a chance to play. It was impossible to say no," he says. His Hendaye team lost 10-5 to Oiartzun, but the smile remained intact. "It was a source of pride to have been at the curtain raiser of such a wonderful party... And then, maybe the game didn't last long so we could get to the table faster," he jokes.

After a good lunch, the crowd headed to the station at 4:30 p.m. for the timeless cavalcade, the highlight of this Sunday.

The first floats line up, the bandas arrive from all over the city... and even from Spain! The sun is beating down, and some take advantage of it to quench their thirst before the procession even sets off. Then there it is, with its usual slight delay, gently setting off towards the beach district.

At the head of the procession, Mayor Kotte Ecenarro, accompanied by the priest, leads the way for the floats. Very quickly, the journey to the Ondarraitz stadium, nearly 3 kilometers, takes on the appearance of a slow march. Breaks are frequent, and participants take the opportunity to cool off. Water pistols are activated on all sides, drenching even those who hadn't asked for it. But this year, few are reluctant to get wet; quite the contrary, every drop is welcomed as a gift on this scorching day.

Everyone is working hard (or rather, their costume). Throughout the entire journey, people dance and sing at the top of their lungs. On the floats, there are many children, as every year, cheered on by the spectators. In the crowd, a spectator says, a bit nostalgically: "A few years ago, I was on the float in their place."

Parents rush to the front of the floats, phones in hand, to immortalize their little ones aboard the cavalcade. "In 15 years, I'll show her how she partied back then," exclaims Myriam. "I think things will have changed a lot by then." Behind them, the older ones often hold each other's shoulders and practice, without forgetting to drink from their zahato, of course.

Everywhere, scenes of endless jubilation, sprinkled with confetti, can be heard. Even on the other side of town, the procession can be heard heading towards the beach district.

Hendaye returns to the stadium to conclude the parade. There, the bandas continue to play as if to delay the moment of parting before the fireworks, the final point of three days of festivities, already setting the stage for next year's celebrations.