Basques have an innate appreciation for strength, effort and simplicity. So, it’s no wonder their most beloved sport focuses on varying ways of smacking a hard ball off a wall.
What is pelota vasca?
Played in courts (called ‘frontons’), with a front wall and a side wall, typically on the left, pelota’s basic rules are similar to that of squash in that a player (called a ‘pelotari’) hits the ball off a front wall above a certain line while attempting to ensure their opponent fails to keep the rally going.
Governed by the International Federation of Basque Pelota since 1929, the modern-day sport is split into eight ‘specialities’, which vary depending on the type of court, variety of ball (similar in shape and structure to a baseball ball but denser), and whether the athletes strike the ball with their bare hands, a racket, a bat, or if they catch it and fling it with a wicker basket.
Although mostly played in the Basque Country, the sport is also common in places have significant populations of Basque diaspora, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Philippines, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, the United States and Venezuela.
The most popular variations of pelota are ‘pelota mano/Esku-huskako pilota’ (handball) and ‘cesta punta/zezta punta’ (known as ‘jai alai, Basque for ‘merry party’ in outside of the Basque Country).
Where to watch pelota vasca in Bilbao?
Frontons are a staple of neighbourhood life all over the Basque Country and almost every Bilbao neighbourhood has its own. If you head to the local fronton at any time, you will almost certainly find groups of people playing some variation of pelota (usually kids playing ‘pelota mano’ with a tennis ball).
To watch a top-level pelota match in Bilbao, you’ll need to go to Bizkaia Frontoia (3,000 seats) or the Club Deportivo de Bilbao (1,500 seats).
Most big matches and tournaments take place at Bizkaia Frontoia. Opened in 2011 and the largest fronton in Spain, it is located in the neighbourhood of Miribilla.
To get to the stadium you need to walk up from Casco Viejo, going past the San Anton Cathedral and Bilbao Arena before getting the lift up to Miribilla.
Most pelota nights consist of three matches. Typically, the first match is a singles game, the second is a doubles match, while the last one is an exhibition singles match.
Aste Nagusia is a great time to take in a pelota match, with events being held at Bizkaia Frontoia every evening, starting from around 6pm.
If there are no matches organised in Bilbao during your stay here, take a look at this website for tournaments in other locations around Bizkaia and the Basque Country.
