🎄Visiting Bilbao during Christmas🎅🏼 - Lights, Markets, Activities - and the meaning of the iconic Christmas Whale
In this article:
- How will Bilbao look like during Christmas
- The most iconic Christmas decorations of Bilbao
- The meaning of the Christmas Whale
- Other decorations around the city
- Christmas Markets in Bilbao
- Olentzero (Basque Santa Claus) Parade - Date and Time
- Three Kings Parade - Date and Time
- Activities for kids during Christmas - Dates, Times, Prices, Get There
- Activities for adults during Christmas - Whole Program
Is Bilbao too cold to visit in Christmas?
Depending on the time of the year you choose to visit Bilbao, you can find a different "version" of it. Today, we will address what you will find visiting Bilbao during Christmas, as well as the activities, public celebrations and Christmas lights you can witness during this time of the year.
One may think that being located in the "bad weather region" of the Iberian Peninsula, the cold and rain that comes with Winter would wipe out, at least slightly, the atmosphere in the city. Turns out that this is far from reality. I even find myself surprised always by the amount of people in the street having pintxos and drinks, no matter the time of the year.
Climate change also plays a role here, as the past few winters have been much warmer than what it was normal before. In fact, this is one of the reasons why people in southern areas of Spain think of Bilbao as a grey and rainy city. But the reality is that December started at 20ºC (68ºF) in Bilbao this year. This was definitely not the case when I was growing up. But we will talk about this in another episode of this newsletter.
How will the city look like during Christmas?
As we said, it won't look empty. In fact, the Christmas shopping may inject even more affluence of people to the city centre from the surrounding residential areas that form the Great Bilbao. But you will also find Christmas lights, some Christmas markets, and even big-scale parades for kids. Let's find out:
The iconic Christmas lights in Bilbao
When someone from Bilbao thinks of Christmas, there's a particular street and a particular colour that comes to mind. We are talking of course about the Gran Vía, Bilbao's main commercial avenue that crosses the city centre in a straight line. And the colour? Well, every year since I can remember, there are some blue lights handing from the many trees that populate both sides of this wide avenue:
There is another spot in which I always love walking around during Christmas time, and that's the Parque del Arenal. There are many tall trees in this part of the river's bank, and they are all wrapped in yellowish lights that climb through their trunk. It's truly magical to walk here in this time of the year:
The banks of the Nervión River also get populated by multiple figures and set ups of Christmas lights that make it a whole experience to just walk among them. In the recent years, a whale coming out of the river has become one the most popular in the city to take pictures of. This spectacular figure is 12m long and 4m tall, and it represents the origins of Bilbao:
