Halloween and Gau Beltza in Vitoria-Gasteiz 2026: what to do from 29 October to 1 November

Vitoria-Gasteiz does Halloween its own way: no big themed production, but an International Theatre Festival in fine form and a set of music venues that programme that week as if they knew.

And if you want the local thing: Gau Beltza, the Basque black night, is Halloween's local predecessor — hollowed-out turnips rather than pumpkins, on the eve of All Saints' — and it has been coming back for years. In Álava the sister tradition is Gaztainerre: roast chestnuts on 1 November.

The mandrake is the plant of European witchcraft: the one that, legend says, screamed when pulled from the ground. On 31 October, in a rock venue.

The thread running through it: the International Theatre Festival

The Vitoria-Gasteiz FIT occupies the Félix Petite Antzokia across these days, with performances on Thursday 29, Friday 30 and Saturday 31. It is the week's most substantial programme in the city, and the one to check first, because its line-up closes late.

Saturday 31: the night

Mandrágora Negra + BudaSam — Urban Rock Concept.

If there is one gig with a witches'-night name in this entire guide, it is this. The mandrake is the plant of European witchcraft: the one that, legend says, screamed when pulled from the ground. On 31 October, in a rock venue. Nothing more is needed.

Rebrote — Sala Jimmy Jazz. The other option that night, in the city's reference venue for live music.

Friday 30: the best day for concerts

• Maria Arnal — Sala Jimmy Jazz. The most interesting thing on the bill all week.
• El Altar del Holocausto — Sala Kubik. Dense post-metal; the name tells you the tone.
• Indianapolis — Urban Rock Concept.

Sunday 1 November

Cinema Stereo — Urban Rock Concept. And the plan that appears on no agenda but is the real one: Gaztainerre. On 1 November people eat roast chestnuts and snails, visit the cemetery in the morning, and spend the afternoon around the braziers in the street. There are usually stalls in the old town.

If you still want more

Vitoria is an hour from Bilbao and a little more from San Sebastián, and both have a strong bill that night: the Visigoth Metal Fest in Bilbao, the Kursaal's Techno Pop in San Sebastián. With a train back, it is doable.

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Check times and venues before heading out. The Vitoria-Gasteiz agenda is updated twice a week from official sources, and full programmes are under festivals.

Another city? The same guide for Bilbao, San Sebastián and Hendaye, where Gau Beltza is celebrated with a parade and a witches' ball.