La Semana Grande at Instituto Hemingway en Bilbao

The Hemingway Institute, a school offering interactive Spanish courses for all ages and levels, stands out for the wide range of free activities it offers its students every month throughout the city of Bilbao and its surrounding areas. For the month of August, we have prepared several activities related to Spanish and Biscayan traditions to help our students connect with the country's culture. These include visits to the Guggenheim Museum, the most famous museum in Bilbao thanks to its striking contemporary architecture, and the Museum of Fine Arts, which offers a more traditional artistic experience. Students will also enjoy a tasting of typical regional wines.

However, the activity our students appreciate the most is the culinary experience we offer, where you will have the opportunity to taste the city's best ham sandwiches, traditional Spanish potato omelette (tortilla de patata), and delicious hot chocolate with churros, allowing you to fully experience Spanish culture.

August is also a very special month for Bilbao because it is when the city's most important festival takes place: the Great Week, also known as Aste Nagusia. Every year, at the end of August, Bilbao is transformed into a city full of music, colour and celebration. Its streets and squares come alive with concerts, performances, parades, fairs, cultural events and activities for children, offering entertainment for all ages. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and both locals and visitors take part in the festivities. Every night, spectacular fireworks light up the sky above the Bilbao estuary while visitors enjoy pintxos, Spanish omelette, ham sandwiches and many other local specialties, discovering the traditions of the Basque Country.

During the Great Week, classes at the Hemingway Institute continue as usual, but we also offer one of Spain's most famous and traditional cultural events: a bullfight. This activity will take place on 24 and 25 August at 5:00 p.m., and on 28 August at 10:00 a.m. It is a unique opportunity to learn more about Spanish traditions and to gain a deeper understanding of an important part of the country's history and cultural identity.