The festival Haizebegi Festival
12th edition
From October 9 to 19, 2025, the Basque Country will be buzzing with the excitement of Haizebegi.
For the past twelve years, the festival has been creating a unique space where music, social sciences, and civic engagement come together. More than just a festival, Haizebegi is a collective movement: an experience where concerts, films, debates, and creative works foster dialogue between cultures and challenge the way we live together.
This new edition strongly reaffirms its international and socially engaged mission, featuring three standout highlights:
- The Historic Arrival in Europe of the Bauls of Bengal—mystical musicians and poet-philosophers;
- MusiKautisme, a pioneering project led by Haizebegi since 2020 that explores the connection between music and autism through films, discussions, and concerts;
- Gathering, a performance by Palestinian-American choreographer Samar Haddad King, in partnership with the Scène nationale du Sud-Aquitain.
From Bayonne to Donostia, via Anglet, Ciboure, Urrugne, Labastide-Villefranche, and Tardets, Haizebegi once again invites artists, researchers, and citizens to come together to create spaces of remembrance, resistance, and hope.
A Closer Look at the 3 Highlights of the 2025 Edition
The Bauls of Bengal: A Historic First in Europe
Wandering mystics, poets, and musician-philosophers, the Bauls of Bengal embody the spiritual and musical soul of India.
Their songs, passed down from master to disciple for centuries, celebrate the quest for inner freedom, universal love, and the resistance of marginalized communities against the established powers.
Charismatic figures at the world’s biggest international festivals,they will be performing in Europe for the very first time thanks to Haizebegi. Three exceptional events will mark this historic milestone:
- October 16 and 19 – Cité des Arts in Bayonne
- October 18 – Quintaou Theater in Anglet
A unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a living tradition where music and spirituality are one, and to meet artists whose voices resonate with both the personal and the universal.
MusiKautisme: Music as a Language
Led by Haizebegi since 2020, MusiKautisme has made the Basque Country a pioneering hub for exploring the connection between music and autism.
In 2025, the project is making a strong comeback with a brand-new program:
- Screening of the short film Mal Roulante, created in collaboration with the Hôpital Marin in Hendaye, featuring patients with neurodegenerative diseases and professional actors.
- Film Screening Different by Lola Doillon.
- A day of discussions and lectures (October 11, Cité des Arts, Bayonne) featuring researchers, artists, and healthcare professionals.
A vibrant exploration of how music can change in our collective livesin terms of support, inclusion, and social justice.
Gathering: Dancing in the Face of History
With Gathering, Palestinian-American choreographer Samar Haddad King and the Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, in production with Au Contraire Productions, transform the stage into a space of memory and resistance.
Each performance is unique, shaped by the venue and its guest artists, blending dance, music, and words.
At the center: a woman, a besieged village, fragmented memories to be pieced back together—a deeply moving narrative in which the personal meets the universal.
In partnership with the Scène nationale du Sud-Aquitain, the performance will be preceded by a special discussion: “What does it mean to be a Palestinian artist today?” with Samar Haddad King and Marion Slitine (CNRS–EHESS).
A rare moment when art becomes a language of resistance and hope.
Basque Voices in the Spotlight
This 12th edition also showcases the contemporary Basque music scene. The young musicians fromHabia will present their new work Omen during the festival’s opening concert. Meanwhile, the Berisa Duo, a pair of promising young accordionists, will deliver a powerful performance of Arvo Pärt’s works, which the audience has been eagerly awaiting.
Haizebegi thus reaffirms its mission to serve as a springboard for local talent, while also placing them within an international artistic dialogue.