Annual nine-day Basque festival · mid-August · Bilbao, Bizkaia
For Casco Viejo peñas, city-hall delegation, Spanish cultural institutions, attending press, hospitality teams and corporate delegations from Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and the rest of Spain that need peña uniforms, festival giveaways, hospitality apparel, press kits and named VIP gifts ready for the nine-day edition around 15 August in Bilbao, Bizkaia. EUR + 21% VAT invoiced through FACe and the Suministro Inmediato de Información (SII) of the Agencia Tributaria (AEAT), with 24–48 h delivery from the Madrid hub or the Bilbao hub to a named hotel near the Casco Viejo, the Teatro Arriaga or the Ayuntamiento de Bilbao offices.
Semana Grande de Bilbao, also known by its Basque name Aste Nagusia, packs nine days around the Asunción feast (15 August) with more than 200 official activities programmed by the Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, Área de Cultura, in coordination with the Comisión de Festejos and the Casco Viejo peñas. The cycle opens with the txupin (rocket) launched from the balcony of Teatro Arriaga at noon on 15 August, continues with the nightly Aste Nagusia fireworks competition from the Parque de Europa, the open-air concerts in Abandoibarra, the bullfights at Plaza de Toros de Vista Alegre, the finals of the Bertsolaris championship, the pelota mano matches in the frontón, and the verbena running late through Siete Calles and la Ribera. Attendance across the week reaches hundreds of thousands, peaking on the weekend nights and on the closing Sunday.
For Casco Viejo peñas, city-hall delegations, Spanish cultural institutions and corporate teams coming in from Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and the rest of the Spanish mainland, the merch brief is unusual and specific: each peña renews the comparsa uniform, the numbered pañuelos for visiting friends and the member IDs for the season; hospitality teams in Arenal, Plaza Nueva and la Ribera kit out their service staff with aprons, polos and caps and order reusable tableware for the cycle; institutional press offices need bilingual ES/EU press kits with the festival dossier; and corporate teams with Basque audiences need named VIP kits for authorities and partners. The Basque colour palette — txistorra red, green, yellow, off-white and deep blue — drives the textile and decoration decisions for every participating team.
The briefs we typically receive for Semana Grande de Bilbao combine a substantial run of peña polos and banderines for the Casco Viejo comparsas, an aprons-and-caps set for the txosna barra rotations, a hospitality pack for restaurants in Arenal and la Ribera, and a bilingual press and authority pack for the institutional delegations. The Madrid hub handles the production and ships by road (SEUR, Correos Express, DHL) to a named hotel near the Casco Viejo, the Teatro Arriaga or the Ayuntamiento offices; the Bilbao hub provides permanent fallback for last-mile and emergency replenishment during the strong nights.
Polos, t-shirts and light layers for Casco Viejo comparsas in the colours approved by each board (txistorra red, Basque green, deep blue), embroidered banderines and pañuelos, numbered pieces for visitors at the bolos and bilingual ES/EU peña IDs for member rotation. Sizes split by comparsa and packing by peña so each association receives a single named allocation.
Aprons, caps and polos for the bar and pintxo staff at the txosnas of Siete Calles and la Ribera, branded trays and small plates for each txosna, reusable napkins and place mats, and auxiliary pieces like branded coasters and bottle openers with each peña's identity for the barra rotation across the nine days.
Embroidered polos and aprons for restaurants in Arenal, Plaza Nueva and la Ribera serving the festive menu, bilingual ES/EU/EN menu covers, branded bottles and pitchers for sidra and txakolí service, and recurring gift items for those who book the same table every Semana Grande — typically numbered sets that double as annual collectibles.
Bilingual ES/EU press packs with a festival dossier and full act calendar, branded lanyards and badge holders, corporate fans and numbered souvenirs for local and foral officials, international press teams and visiting Basque corporate delegations. Kits assembled by recipient tier and delivered by name to the hotel, the txosna or the Casco Viejo peña's rehearsal space.
The branded merchandise operation for Semana Grande de Bilbao is usually coordinated between Madrid, Bilbao and the Casco Viejo peñas: the Madrid production hub handles the entire order and delivers by road to a named consignee — a peña rehearsal space in the Siete Calles, a hotel near the Casco Viejo, the Burtzeña industrial estate for staging, or the offices of the Ayuntamiento de Bilbao in the Plaza Ernesto Erkoreka. The Bilbao hub is reserved for last-mile and emergency replenishment on the strong days. The Casco Viejo and Abandoibarra restrict vehicle access during the cycle, so peña and txosna deliveries work best in the early morning before the comparsa leaves its rehearsal space, or in the long pause between the concerts and the fireworks.
We keep reserved stock at the Madrid hub for recurring items — white shirts, polos and tote bags with generic screen-print — that we can produce and deliver in 7–10 working days. For pieces with custom embroidery (peña crest, Basque monogram, festival mark, numbered pañuelos) the window moves to 12–14 working days. For corporate teams with special hospitality pieces (gift boxes, numbered Basque sets, authority kits) we recommend closing the order 4–5 weeks before the cycle opens.
The B2B invoice is issued in EUR with 21% VAT added through FACe and the Suministro Inmediato de Información (SII) of the Agencia Tributaria (AEAT); for intra-EU clients with a valid VIES NIF reverse-charge applies without Spanish VAT; for UK and non-EU clients the invoice is issued without VAT citing the corresponding EU directive article. Every delivery is confirmed with a signed delivery note at destination and, when the client requests it, with a photo of the material unloaded at the peña rehearsal, the txosna barra or the team's office.
The festival traditionally opens on 15 August, the Asunción feast, with the txupin launched from the Teatro Arriaga balcony at noon, and runs for nine days with concerts, fireworks, bullfights and verbena programmed by the Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, Área de Cultura, in coordination with the Comisión de Festejos. The Ayuntamiento publishes the official poster and the full activities calendar each year.
Yes, with planning. The Casco Viejo and Abandoibarra restrict vehicle access during the strong days, so we usually deliver to a hotel near the Casco Viejo, the Burtzeña industrial estate or a txosna with vehicle access before the comparsa leaves its rehearsal. For deliveries inside the barra we coordinate with the peña delegate and use the long pause between acts.
Peñas typically order 80–500 t-shirts and 100–600 numbered pañuelos per peña; txosnas 30–150 bar kits and 200–1,000 service pieces; restaurants in Arenal and la Ribera 25–80 staff polos and 100–400 hospitality pieces; and corporate teams with a Basque audience 30–150 VIP kits. We size the run by named allocation and can split one order across several peñas or txosnas.
No. Corp-Merch is an independent external supplier that helps Casco Viejo peñas, city-hall delegations, hospitality teams and Spanish corporate delegations prepare their own merch for Semana Grande de Bilbao. It does not organise, sponsor or represent the Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, the Comisión de Festejos or any individual peña or txosna.
Corp-Merch is an independent external supplier for Casco Viejo peñas, city-hall delegations, hospitality teams and Spanish corporate teams. This page helps participating teams prepare their own merch for Semana Grande de Bilbao (Aste Nagusia); it does not represent the Ayuntamiento de Bilbao, the Comisión de Festejos or any individual peña or txosna.