What to do in Bilbao in diciembre

The Three Kings' Cavalcade winds down Gran Vía on the evening of January 5, with Olentzero and the Magi tossing sweets ahead of the night kids wait for all year.

Aratuste (Carnival) takes over the Old Town and Plaza Nueva in mid-February with costumed comparsas — the name comes from haragi uzte, 'leaving meat behind' before Lent.

The Loraldia Festibala fills Bilbao with contemporary Basque culture from March 9 to 28 — theatre, bertsolaritza, dance and Basque-language music across landmark venues.

Holy Week brings out the brotherhoods and their pasos through the Old Town, with Good Friday's Santo Entierro procession as the peak of the Basque religious calendar.

International Museum Day on May 18 opens the Guggenheim and the Fine Arts Museum for free, with extra activities and extended hours.

St. John's Eve, June 23 to 24, fills the estuary and beaches with bonfires — the Basque solstice tradition of leaping over the flames.

Bilbao BBK Live marks its 20th anniversary from July 9 to 11 on Mount Kobetamendi, with Robbie Williams, David Byrne and Lily Allen among the headliners.

Aste Nagusia (the Big Week) starts August 22 and runs nine days: the txupinazo, Marijaia's appearance at the Arriaga theatre and over 100 free concerts.

The so-called 'second summer' brings the most stable, dry days of the year, right when the Aste Nagusia crowds have cleared out.

BIME Bilbao gathers the music industry from October 28 to 31 — 65 concerts spread across Euskalduna, Kafe Antzokia and other city venues.

ZINEBI holds its 68th edition from November 20 to 27 — Bilbao's International Documentary and Short Film Festival, the dean of Basque cinema.