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BaskFest 2016 is a festival organized by a group of Basque artists and creators who live in London who will show their work off all weekend in Dalston. The festival is supported by Donostia 2016 and will include expositions, art performances, drawing and music, txalaparta, dance, folk and DJs until dawn at this free event. 

London, England.   Starting on Friday, a large exhibition of Basque art and creation can be enjoyed for free in the East of London, thanks to the first edition of BaskFest.  The festival has been organized by the London Basque Diaspora, a group that includes Basque artists residing in London. 

“Our idea is to give visibility to artists and the Basque culture that occurs outside of the Basque Country, by artists that are still very united to their Basque identity,” Arantxa Echarte explains to EuskalKultura.com.  Arantxa is one of the festival’s organizers and has lived in London for 15 years.

Music, performances, photography, DJs…

The festival will provide the opportunity to explore the Basque culture through contemporary artistic expression that includes disciplines like video installations, music, visual arts, dance, performance, photography and gastronomy.  Its goal, according to supporters is “to create a dialogue between identity, co-existence and interconnectivity.”

The festival program includes Basque creators living in London as well as others from the Basque Diaspora.  Some of the participants include dantzaris Igor and Moreno; musicians Isa Suarez, Iñigo Ugarteburu and Felipe Ugarte; artists Arantxa Echarte and Juanan Eguiguren, and many more.

A pintxo “made in Arzak”

Basque gastronomy, which increasingly has a greater presence in London, will also have a place thanks to no one else than Arzak and Argiñano.  “One of the latest additions is that the public will be able to taste pintxos designed by Ametsa, Arzak’s Restaurant in London, and washi it down with Txakoli KPilota by Karlos Argiñano,” Arantxa tells EuskalKultura.com.

Events will begin on Friday with performances and live art exhibitions.  On Saturday, the exhibit will be open all day with live music beginning in the evening hours (experimental folk and electro-pop), a drawing performance and more “BaskFest cuisine,” that will last until dawn with DJs.  On Sunday, the txalaparta will be the star, with a workshop dedicated to this ancient Basque instrument and a screening of the award-winning documentary Nomadak,´ by Raul de la Fuente, and Mugaritz by Juantxo Sardon. 

Complete program, here.