Fuenterrabía celebrates popular festivals with sokamuturra (tethered bulls), dances, pilgrimages, cycling races, etc., for the Virgin of Guadalupe on September 8. The typical alarde, Basque pelota matches, and a local livestock competition are also held in September.
The Alarde.
The alarde was a common celebration in the fuero period, consisting of a parade that marked the end of the annual exercises of municipal militias established under local law. The Fuenterrabía alarde was reintroduced symbolically to commemorate the siege of 1638 and as a votive tribute to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
In the traditional alarde, 16 companies parade, organized by neighborhood, each led by a captain and several officers. The march opens with a company of archers or axe-bearers wearing leather aprons, tall sheepskin helmets, and long beards, carrying various tools such as saws and axes. They are followed by the general with his staff and a cavalry squadron, then the remaining companies, artillery, and the municipal and parish bodies.
The traditional alarde is essentially male. Women are represented only by one cantinière per company. She carries no weapons but a small barrel, which differs from historical reality (Soraluce, Henao) and relegates her to a purely auxiliary and decorative role.
The procession departs from the Plaza de Armas, passes along Calle Mayor, and disperses at Saindua to regroup again at Guadalupe. In the afternoon, it departs from Saindua and ends at the Plaza de Armas. Salvos and music playing the Titibiliti are essential traditional elements. The alarde tamborrada was incorporated in 1920. The mixed-gender alarde created at the end of the 20th century has been edly opposed by traditionalists.
The Holy Week Procession.
It is famous and attracts many tourists. The representation of the Passion was authorized by the Bishop of Pamplona in 1602.