The Bayonne Ham Fair

Every year in April, a great celebration of an immemorial product of the Basque Country takes place: The Ham Fair. In 2025, it will be no less than the ^562nd edition… You won't miss it, will you? But what do you find there? Is there only ham? And which ham first? We give you all the information to enjoy this festival as it should be, we even have some very fun videos in stock!

Bayonne Ham, in the Basque Country

In the Basque Country, ham is a very serious matter. Bayonne Ham has been a PGI since 1996, a recognition of the know-how and ancestral tradition that this product represents. Of course, throughout the southwest, ham has been made for centuries, but Bayonne Ham, like others, has its own specificities and particularities that should not be confused with other products...

It is a raw ham, dry and salty (but not too much). Its flesh is dark red, marbled with just the right amount of fat to give it all the tenderness and delicacy of the aromas in the mouth, which we are entitled to expect from a ham of such high quality. To enjoy it properly, you will cut it into thin slices, to appreciate all the beauty and the shimmering side of its flesh. Simply place it in your mouth and let the flavors exalt, then slip away as its texture astounds you with pleasure... Do you think we are exaggerating? Try it (the real thing from an artisan butcher or a quality retailer) and you will see ;)

Bayonne ham

Cutting Bayonne Ham

The Bayonne Ham Fair

Since 1426 , breeders , pork butchers, chefs and all the people who gravitate around the brotherhood of Bayonne Ham, meet in the center of Bayonne for 4 days of festivities. In recent years, the Ham Fair has become much more than a simple celebration of Ham. It is an ode to the products of the Basque region and an opportunity (additional and welcome) to warmly celebrate.

The festivities are opened with a competition : that of the Best Farm Ham. The 3 chosen ones are then put up for auction during the Fair. During the 4 days, the city smells good, it is lively and joyful. The gourmet fair and the salting marquee is a place full of delicacies, with a side specially dedicated to hams and similar products, there is also a small farm, numerous activities and a place to discover other Basque products : Espelette pepper, Ossau Iraty, Irouleguy wine, Basque pork with the AOC Kintoa... In additional places, such as the Confrérie du Jambon de Bayonne, the Chamber of Trades, there are culinary demonstrations, competitions (for the best ham omelette , yum!) and parades. In the town, the merchants organize tastings of their products, special sales, it really is the perfect opportunity to discover Bayonne if you have never been!

Shows, masses, concerts and outdoor tables (in the sun, fingers crossed) are places where Basques and tourists can meet up to enjoy the mild weather that's coming... It's a bit like the starting signal for the ball season, isn't it?

The city in celebration, near Les Halles

Adjacent to the Halles, tasting and sales stands

Art in the street

Under the salters' marquee

Stock up on good products

Important information: Please note that traffic is severely disrupted in Bayonne during the Ham Fair. Take precautions, park far away, and plan your route carefully so you don't drive through the city! Use the bus network provided for this purpose by the Municipality.

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