The parties of Bayonne 2018 are officially open!

The keys are thrown away. And it is Jean-Marie Bigard in person who took charge of it, at 22:00 sharp, from the balcony of the town hall of Bayonne. A sesame offered by his care to the crowd, who had been waiting for a year for the event, announcer of the first appearance of King Leo .

Three members of the French women's team of rugby

To open the festivities, Jean-Marie Bigard was not alone: ​​the players of the French Rugby Team Céline Ferrer, Pauline Bourdon and Patricia Carricaburu have a halo since March of a new victory at the Tournament of the Six Nations were also invited to the balcony, as well as the rower of Aviron bayonnais Matthieu Androdias.

At the foot of the balcony: hundreds of thousands of festayres, all dressed in white, had gathered, some had already been waiting for several hours, Place de la Liberté and the surrounding streets

Look at this interpretation of Vino Griego , sung by the crowd a few minutes from the opening ceremony

Among these festayres, Bayonnais, who were delighted not to have to pay the 8 euros requested at the entrance celebrations from Friday to Sunday regulars from all over the Basque Country, but also Bretons, Mayennais, tourists from the United States or the Paris region, to share a few days of festivals, culture and of Basque tradition.

All anxiously awaited the lifting of the veil on the best-kept secret of the holidays: every year, the identity of the celebrity who appears on the balcony to offer the keys of the city to its inhabitants is kept secret to the end.

If the festival is officially open for only a few hours, the city began to excite on Monday, with the sale of Holy Spirit, a great concert in the arena, and the stride of festayres that took place this Wednesday : More than 4,200 runners crossed the finish line, including many athletes with disabilities.

The red scarf around the neck

This official opening marks the start for five days and five nights of festivities. It is only since Wednesday 22 hours that the festayres can proudly wear their red scarf around the neck. An attribute that should not leave before Sunday night. The program promises to be well filled in the days to follow.

This Thursday will take place the children's day, a day that you can follow live on our site and our Facebook page.