Jaialdi 2020 in Boise postponed over coronavirus pandemic concerns
Jaialdi, the festival that brings tens of thousands of people to Idaho to celebrate Basque culture, will be postponed until 2021.
The event had been scheduled for July 28-Aug. 2 this year. Instead, the Boise festival will now take place from July 27 to Aug. 1, 2021.
“This was a difficult decision, but a necessary one,” organizers wrote in a post on the Jaialdi 2020 Facebook page. “Coronavirus cases are increasing both in Idaho and the United States at large, and we are acting out of an abundance of love and concern for our friends and family around the world.”
The festival has taken place in Boise every five years since 1990. It features dancing and musical performances, as well as athletic events and food.
It is always held on the last weekend of July, which “coincides with the Boise’s Basque community annual San Inazio festival which celebrates their patron saint, San Ignacio of Loyola,” according to the festival’s website. Organizers said that moving Jaialdi to 2021 will not change the timing of the following festival, which is scheduled during the last week of July 2025.
“This year is a tough one,” Jaialdi board member Amy Wray said in a news release. “But Basques are an ancient people who have weathered storms before. We’re looking forward to finally seeing our friends, hugging our relatives, dancing on the Basque Block, and celebrating our culture next year — and we hope the people of the Treasure Valley and beyond join us.”
Organizers are still finalizing the way refunds will work. They will share the information on the event’s website and social media.
Basques are an ethnic group from an autonomous region of Spain. Boise has one of the largest concentrations of Basque people anywhere in the world.
Spain has been hit “especially hard hit by the coronavirus,” organizers said in the release. Data from Spain’s Ministry of Health shows the Basque Country is one of the hardest-hit regions in all of Spain.
This story has been revised to correct Jaialdi board member Amy Wray’s first name.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 10:49 AM.
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