With just a few weeks remaining until the Pasaia Itsas Festibala, the organizers continue to unveil the main highlights of the upcoming edition: the presence of the whaleship San Juan, which the public will finally have the opportunity to visit, and the participation of Canada as the guest maritime culture, will allow for a renewed exploration of the relationship forged between the Basque Country and Canada across the Atlantic more than five centuries ago.
Thus, the fourth edition of this maritime event, to be held from May 14 to 17, will include a dedicated program focused on the maritime culture of the guest of honor, with special attention to the Indigenous peoples of present-day Canadian territory.
Pasaia Itsas Festibala will have the participation of the First Nations, the Inuit and the various maritime traditions of the Atlantic of Canada, giving them the opportunity to know closely the cultural diversity of those territories.
First Nations – Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok
The Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok people, originating from the boreal forests of Quebec, maintain a close relationship with the land and waterways. At the festival, they will showcase the construction of birchbark canoes, an ancestral knowledge essential for mobility and cultural life.
Inuit – Arctic Maritime Knowledge
Inuit culture is deeply connected to the sea and ice, which are essential to their identity and survival. The construction of kayaks reflects a technical and adaptive knowledge developed in one of the most demanding environments on the planet.
Atlantic Canada – Naval Traditions of Newfoundland and Labrador
The coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador have developed maritime traditions based on fishing and navigation. Their wooden vessels, adapted to the open sea, connect historic Basque expeditions with present-day maritime life.
The program will include initiatives related to heritage, gastronomy, music, and craftsmanship, highlighting the historical ties between the two regions and the role of Indigenous peoples in this relationship. The organization will reveal further details of this program in the coming weeks.
From Red Bay to Pasaia
Built in the 16th century in the shipyards of Pasaia, the San Juan is part of the golden age of the Basque Country as a naval power. Constructed almost entirely from oak wood, it weighed 200 tons and measured 28 meters in length and 7.5 meters in beam. It was one of the whaling ships that sailed to Newfoundland and Labrador, where Basque sailors operated in contact with local communities.
These commercial voyages left a profound mark on Canadian shores, both in archaeology and in toponymy—numerous place names of Basque origin still survive along the Canadian coastline—as well as in cultural and commercial relations with Indigenous peoples. Historical sources also demonstrate the intensity of this contact, to the extent that the Basque language came to function as a trade language with some communities.
The wreck of the San Juan in 1565 in Red Bay (Canada) marked the beginning of a story that centuries later would become key to international maritime archaeology. The discovery of the wreck in 1978—in an extraordinary state of preservation—thanks to the research of historian Selma Huxley and the campaigns of the Canadian public agency responsible for natural and cultural heritage (Parks Canada), made it possible to document the original construction of the whaler with an unprecedented level of detail.
Based on this knowledge, Albaola began the reconstruction of the galleon in Pasaia in 2014 as a scientific replica, reviving traditional techniques, materials, and trades of Basque Renaissance shipbuilding. A decade later, this past November, the vessel was launched in a large public ceremony in the port of Pasaia.
The project currently continues with construction work afloat to equip the ship fully, including up to 4 km of rigging, two sets of sails, forged anchors, whaleboats, copper cauldrons, barrels, and other equipment. All these elements are being built at Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria, which will also be open to visitors during the festival.
During the upcoming edition of Pasaia Itsas Festibala, the public will be able to experience the San Juan up close and learn both about the vessel and the construction process behind it, discovering what 16th-century Basque whaling ships were like and understanding the scale of those transoceanic voyages. Tickets for visits will be made available to the public soon.
The next objective for the whaleship San Juan is to sail to Canada and return to Pasaia as a floating museum capable of conveying the great achievements of Basque navigation to present and future generations.
A festival open to participate
Beyond the San Juan and the lineup of large vessels already announced by the organizers, from May 14 to 17 the bay of Pasaia will once again be filled with small and medium-sized boats, both traditional and classic, from associations and private owners, contributing to the festival’s participatory and accessible character. With more than one hundred vessels already registered and registration still open, all indications suggest that this fourth edition will be the largest to date. Interested vessels can still join the festival via the official website: www.pasaiaitsasfestibala.org