On the first two Sundays in September, San Sebastián’s most famous bay takes on a different look. Traineras fill the water, supporters take over the harbour and the city revives a tradition rooted in its fishing past. In 2026, the Bandera de La Concha takes place on 6 and 13 September: a perfect excuse to discover Donostia just as summer begins to fade.
Any day is a good day for a walk along La Concha promenade, but on two Sundays each year it is worth swapping a peaceful stroll for a little excitement. From early morning, the area around the bay starts to fill up with shirts and scarves in the colours of the different crews, groups arriving from towns all along the coast and supporters following the competition almost as passionately as a local derby.
This is the Bandera de La Concha, one of the Basque Country’s great sporting traditions and an excellent opportunity to understand just how deeply the sea is woven into the identity of San Sebastián and the coastal communities around it.
Before they became a sport, traineras were fishing boats
To understand why a regatta can mobilise Donostia like this, you need to go back well over a century. Traineras were originally boats used to fish species such as anchovies and sardines. They were around 12 metres long and crewed by 12 or 13 rowers and a skipper. Before engines arrived, sheer arm power was what allowed fishermen to reach the fishing grounds and return to port with their catch. And getting back quickly had very important consequences: the sooner you arrived, the sooner you could take the fish to auction. Speed, therefore, was not simply a matter of pride.
From this maritime reality came challenges between boats and, eventually, regattas. In 1879, San Sebastián included a trainera race in its summer festivities for the first time. It proved so popular with spectators that the event returned in subsequent years and eventually became a tradition. The boats, materials and training for the event have changed since then, but the geography of rowing still reflects its origins: many of the top clubs come from towns with a long fishing tradition.
How the Bandera de La Concha works
You do not need to know much about rowing to enjoy it, but understanding a few basics makes the competition easier to follow.
Qualifying races take place before the first Sunday. The seven fastest boats qualify, joined by the trainera representing the host city. In the final rounds they compete in two heats and complete an out-and-back course with a single ciaboga, the 180-degree turn around the outer buoy and one of the most technical moments of the race. One important detail: there is no definitive winner on the first Sunday. The Bandera is decided by adding together the times from both race days, so everything can change a week later.
The women’s competition has been part of La Concha since 2008. In 2026, as in recent editions, the women’s races start at 11:00 and the men’s at 12:00, on both Sunday 6 and 13 September.
Where to watch from
One of the things that makes this regatta so special is its setting. It does not take place in a stadium: the entire bay becomes a grandstand. The organisers traditionally point to places such as the harbour, the quay, Paseo Nuevo, Mount Urgull, Igueldo, the beaches and even Santa Clara Island as viewing points from which spectators can follow the competition.
If it is your first time, an easy option is to head early to the area around the harbour and Paseo Nuevo. As well as having the sea right in front of you, you will be close to where much of the atmosphere builds before and after the race.
Another option is to gain some height. From different points on Mount Urgull you get a much broader view of the bay and the movement of the boats. If you have never visited the city before, you can combine it with the walk up to the castle and the viewpoints we recommend in our local guide to San Sebastián.
Whatever spot you choose, it is worth arriving well in advance. The appeal is not simply watching the traineras pass by: much of the experience comes from seeing the city gradually fill up, identifying the colours of the different supporters and hearing the atmosphere change as the start approaches. Official sources describe thousands of fans spread around the entire bay on these race days.
Look beyond the water too
During the regatta it is easy to focus on who is leading, but if the sport is new to you, there are other details worth paying attention to. Notice the synchronisation of the rowers, the work of the cox and, above all, the ciaboga. A well-executed turn can make all the difference, and it is one of those moments when even someone seeing traineras for the first time immediately understands that there is far more technique involved than it might seem.
Then look around you. The supporters are part of the spectacle. The clubs represent specific coastal towns and communities, and the bond between a boat and its home town remains one of the most distinctive features of Basque fixed-seat rowing.
After the regatta: from the harbour to the Old Town
Around lunchtime, another Donostia tradition arrives – and this one is much easier to try: going out for pintxos. From the harbour it is only a few minutes’ walk to the Parte Vieja, the Old Town. Rather than booking a long lunch, you can do as the locals do and move from bar to bar, ordering one or two pintxos in each. Calle 31 de Agosto is one of the classic streets on which to start.
There is an even simpler alternative. When we asked the Donostia band Nøgen about one of their favourite local plans, their suggestion was to buy a sandwich and eat it by the harbour. After a morning of traineras, it is hard to imagine a better time to follow their advice. You can read all their recommendations in Nøgen’s San Sebastián.
September starts on a Basque note
If you visit San Sebastián during this period, the traineras will not be the only local tradition you encounter in the streets. From 2 to 13 September 2026, the Euskal Jaiak, or Basque Festivities, take place, with a programme centred on the two regatta Sundays and featuring popular culture, sport, music, dance and gastronomy.
The Bandera is still an excellent way to plan the trip: keep Sunday morning free for the regatta, have lunch afterwards in the Parte Vieja and let the rest of the city unfold around you as the day goes on.
La Concha is a picture-postcard view all year round. But on two Sundays in September it stops being simply a landscape and becomes once again what it has always been for Donostia as well: a gateway to the Cantabrian Sea.
Bandera de La Concha 2026: practical information
Dates: Sundays 6 and 13 September 2026.
Location: La Concha Bay, San Sebastián.
Times: women’s regatta at 11:00; men’s regatta at 12:00.
Qualifying races: Wednesday and Thursday before the first Sunday.
Tip: before you go, check the official Donostia Kultura information, especially for access conditions and possible ticket sales for certain areas.
More information: Bandera de La Concha – San Sebastián Turismo.
